Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2025

Detection of Low Copy Number Integrated Viral DNA Formed by In Vitro Hepatitis B Infection
Published on: November 7, 2018
Precore/core mutations of hepatitis B virus genotype D arising in different states of infection
Neda Sanaei1, Seyed Mohammad Ali Hashemi1, Seyedeh Zahra Salehi Dehno1
1Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
Aim Of The Study:
Precore/core variations and liver disease progression have been suggested. In this study, we aimed to determine the frequency of precore/core mutations in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients at various clinical stages.
Material And Methods:
In total, 73 HBV-infected patients including 26 inactive carriers (IC), 20 chronic active (CA), and 27 patients with liver cirrhosis/hepatocellular carcinoma (C/HCC) were randomly selected. The HBV DNA was extracted from the sera and subjected to nested PCR for amplification of precore/core region. The PCR product was then sequenced by the Sanger method.
Results:
The stop codon of W28*(G1896A) was determined as the most prevalent mutation (55%) of the precore region. The comparison of groups also demonstrated that core substitutions at residues of S21, E40 and I105 (< 0.05) correlated with the development of the inactive carrier state. Furthermore, the total substitutions in Th epitopes (117-131) were significantly higher in the C/HCC group than the IC and CA groups (p = 0.001).
Conclusions:
Our results indicated a high frequency of W28* mutation in HBV studied patients. Moreover, variations including S21, E40 and I105 and R151 that were mapped onto cellular epitopes might be related to inactive state development.
Related Concept Videos
Viral Mutations
Viruses with RNA Genomes
Retroviruses
Diseases of the Liver and Gallbladder
Cirrhosis is characterized by the scarring of hepatic lobules in the liver, which are replaced by fibrous tissue, affecting the liver's normal functioning. NAFLD, on the other hand, is caused by an excessive build-up of fat in the liver, not...
Immunodeficiency Diseases
There are three main causes of immunodeficiency...
Mutations in Microorganisms

