Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 7, 2026
10:23
Lipid Droplet Isolation for Quantitative Mass Spectrometry Analysis
Published on: April 17, 2017
10.8K
Increased Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity in Persons Infected With Hepatitis C Virus
David S Campo1, Ha-Jung Roh1, Brian L Pearlman2
1Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology and Bioinformatics, Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology
|February 9, 2017
Summary
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection significantly increases mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic diversity. This diversity rapidly decreases after successful HCV therapy, suggesting a reversible effect and aiding in identifying recent infections.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Genetics
- Immunology
Background:
- Host genetics influence Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection outcomes.
- HCV infection is linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and disease progression.
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic diversity in the liver is associated with disease progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of HCV infection on host mtDNA genetic diversity.
- To assess the reversibility of HCV-induced mtDNA diversity changes after therapy.
- To determine if mtDNA diversity can differentiate recent from past HCV infections.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated genetic diversity of two mtDNA regions (hypervariable segments 1 and 2).
- Utilized next-generation sequencing on sera from 116 individuals.
- Analyzed mtDNA diversity in acute HCV, chronic HCV, and uninfected control groups.
Main Results:
- mtDNA diversity was 4.2x higher in acute HCV and 96.1x higher in chronic HCV cases compared to controls.
- Diversity was 23.1x higher in chronic compared to acute HCV cases.
- mtDNA nucleotide diversity decreased significantly (70.51-100%) after therapy-induced HCV clearance in two patients.
Conclusions:
- HCV infection significantly elevates host mtDNA genetic diversity.
- The observed decrease in mtDNA diversity post-therapy suggests a reversible effect of HCV on mitochondria.
- mtDNA nucleotide diversity levels can aid in distinguishing recent from past HCV infections, facilitating transmission event detection.
Keywords:
AUC, area under the curveDisease BiomarkersHCC, hepatocellular carcinomaHCV, hepatitis C virusHIV, human immunodeficiency virusHVS, hypervariable segmentIFN, interferonNGS, next-generation sequencingNoninvasivePCR, polymerase chain reactionROC, receiver operating characteristicmtDNAmtDNA, mitochondrial DNApegIFN, peginterferon
Related Concept Videos
02:59Animal Mitochondrial Genetics
9.8K
Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...
9.8K
00:36Viral Mutations
40.3K
A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
40.3K