Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle
Published on: February 1, 2017
[Detection and characterization of pre-core mutants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in chronically infected patients]
J L López1, P F Telenta, J Palacios Poggio González
1Cátedra de Virología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Insights
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) pre-core mutants were identified in chronically infected, HBeAg-negative patients in Argentina. These mutants are linked to lower interferon therapy response rates.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Context:
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes significant global morbidity and mortality, leading to severe liver conditions like cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Factors influencing HBV liver injury severity include pre-core mutants, viral and host genetics, and immune status.
- Pre-core mutants in chronic carriers are associated with poor response to interferon therapy.
Purpose:
- This study aimed to detect HBV pre-core mutants in chronically infected, HBeAg-negative patients in Argentina.
- To investigate the genetic characteristics of these mutants.
Summary:
- Viral DNA was extracted from nine HBsAg-positive patients in Argentina and amplified using PCR.
- Restriction enzyme assays and nucleotide sequence analysis of the pre-core region were performed.
- All patients showed serological markers and low viral DNA levels consistent with pre-core mutants, with one case revealing mutations at codons 15 and 28.
Impact:
- Identifies the presence of specific HBV pre-core mutants in an Argentinian patient cohort.
- Provides genetic evidence of previously described mutations in these mutants.
- Contributes to understanding HBV diversity and its implications for treatment resistance.
Abstract:
Hepatitis B virus infection is responsible of an important number of world morbimortality. This is associated to severe liver outcome such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Diverse factors influence the severity of liver injury produced by Hepatitis B Virus (HBV): the emergence of HBV mutants unable to secrete "e" antigen (pre-core mutants), the virus and host genetic heterogenicity and immune system competence. Particularly, the presence of pre-core mutants in chronic carriers is associated a low response to interferon therapy. We present paper is to present evidence as to the presence of these mutants in chronically infected, HBeAg negative patients (HBsAg positive) in Argentina. Viral DNAs were extracted from sera of nine patients, amplified by PCR and characterized by restriction enzyme assay. All of them appear to be pre-core mutants according with serological markers and a very low level of viral DNA detected in serum. Further genetic characterization of one of them by nucleotide sequence analysis of the pre-core region let allowed us to show modifications at codon 15 and 28 both of them previously described for pre-core mutants.
