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Liu Y, Wu D, Zhang K, Ren R, Liu Y, Zhang S, Zhang X, Cheng J, Chen L, Huang J. Detection technology and clinical applications of serum viral products of hepatitis B virus infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1402001. [PMID: 39035352 PMCID: PMC11257880 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1402001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Viral hepatitis, caused by its etiology, hepatitis virus, is a public health problem globally. Among all infections caused by hepatitis-associated viruses, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains the most serious medical concern. HBV infection particularly affects people in East Asia and Africa, the Mediterranean region, and Eastern Europe, with a prevalence rate of > 2%. Currently, approximately 1 billion people worldwide are infected with HBV, and nearly 30% of them experience chronic infection. Chronic HBV infection can lead to chronic hepatitis B (CHB), liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), resulting in the related death of approximately 1 million people annually. Although preventative vaccines and antiviral therapies are currently available, there is no cure for this infection. Clinical testing is not only the gateway for diagnosis of HBV infection, but also crucial for judging the timing of medication, evaluating the effect of antiviral therapy, and predicting the risk of relapse after drug withdrawal in the whole follow-up management of hepatitis B infected persons. With advances in detection technology, it is now possible to measure various viral components in the blood to assess the clinical status of HBV infection. Serum viral products of HBV infection, such as HBV DNA, HBV RNA, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B e-antigen, and hepatitis B core-related antigen, are non-invasive indicators that are critical for the rapid diagnosis and management of related diseases. Improving the sensitivity of monitoring of these products is essential, and the development of corresponding detection technologies is pivotal in achieving this goal. This review aims to offer valuable insights into CHB infection and references for its effective treatment. We provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of classical and novel methods for detecting HBV serum viral products and discusses their clinical applications, along with the latest research progress in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Di Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Kui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, College of Sericulture, Textile and Biomass Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Rongrong Ren
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuxuan Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Shuya Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xuanyu Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Jilin Cheng
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liping Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Geriatric Medical Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
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Hepatitis B Virus Variants with Multiple Insertions and/or Deletions in the X Open Reading Frame 3′ End: Common Members of Viral Quasispecies in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10051194. [PMID: 35625929 PMCID: PMC9139148 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10051194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Deletions in the 3′ end region of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) X open reading frame (HBX) may affect the core promoter (Cp) and have been frequently associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of variants with deletions and/or insertions (Indels) in this region in the quasispecies of 50 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients without HCC. We identified 103 different Indels in 47 (94%) patients, in a median of 3.4% of their reads (IQR, 1.3–8.4%), and 25% (IQR, 13.1–40.7%) of unique sequences identified in each quasispecies (haplotypes). Of those Indels, 101 (98.1%) caused 44 different altered stop codons, the most commonly observed were at positions 128, 129, 135, and 362 (putative position). Moreover, 39 (37.9%) Indels altered the TATA-like box (TA) sequences of Cp; the most commonly observed caused TA2 + TA3 fusion, creating a new putative canonical TATA box. Four (8%) patients developed negative clinical outcomes after a median follow-up of 9.4 (8.7–12) years. In conclusion, we observed variants with Indels in the HBX 3′ end in the vast majority of our CHB patients, some of them encoding alternative versions of HBx with potential functional roles, and/or alterations in the regulation of transcription.
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Salarnia F, Behboudi E, Shahramian I, Moradi A. Novel X gene point mutations in chronic hepatitis B and HBV related cirrhotic patients. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2022; 97:105186. [PMID: 34920100 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2021.105186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION HBx is a multifunctional modulator viral protein with key roles in various biological processes such as signal transduction, transcription, proliferation, and cell apoptosis. Also, HBx has an important role in the progression of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to determine mutations in X gene, enhancer II (EnhII), and basal core promoter (BCP) of genotype D of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in cirrhotic and chronic HBV patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS This cross-sectional study was performed on 68 cases with chronic HBV (cHBV) and 50 cases with HBV related cirrhosis. Serum samples were obtained for genomic DNA extraction. Semi-nested PCR was used to amplify the HBx region. Point mutations in the HBx region were detected by sequencing. RESULT Novel mutations were detected, including C1491G, C1500T, G1613T, and G1658T in the N-terminal of the X gene. The frequency of C1481T/G1479A, T1498C, C1500T, G1512A, A1635T, C1678T, A1727T, and A1762T/ G1764A/ C1773T was significantly higher in cirrhotic patients compared to chronically HBV infected ones. A higher rate of A1635T, C1678T, A1727T, A1762T, G1764A, and C1773T was observed in cirrhotic patients. CONCLUSION Our findings showed that the frequency of mutations in the basal-core promoter, enhancer II, and regulatory region of the HBx gene was more seen in cirrhotic patients than in chronic HBV cases. Novel mutations were detected in the HBx gene, causing amino acid substitutions; however, the clinical impact of these novel mutations is yet to be cleared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzaneh Salarnia
- Department of Microbiology, Torbat Jam Faculty of Medical Sciences, Torbat Jam, Iran
| | - Emad Behboudi
- Department of Microbiology, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Iraj Shahramian
- Department of Pediatric, Faculty of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran
| | - Abdolvahab Moradi
- Department of Microbiology, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
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Abstract
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a member of the Hepadnaviridae family, which includes small DNA enveloped viruses that infect primates, rodents, and birds and is the causative factor of chronic hepatitis B. A common feature of all these viruses is their great specificity by species and cell type, as well as a peculiar genomic and replication organization similar to that of retroviruses. The HBV virion consists of an external lipid envelope and an internal icosahedral protein capsid containing the viral genome and a DNA polymerase, which also functions as a reverse transcriptase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Loglio
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Mauro Viganò
- Hepatology Division, San Giuseppe Hospital Multimedica Spa, Via San Vittore 12, 20123 Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Lampertico
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy; Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, CRC "A. M. and A. Migliavacca" Center for Liver Disease, University of Milan, Via F. Sforza 35, Milan 20122, Italy.
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Lim CS, Sozzi V, Littlejohn M, Yuen LK, Warner N, Betz-Stablein B, Luciani F, Revill PA, Brown CM. Quantitative analysis of the splice variants expressed by the major hepatitis B virus genotypes. Microb Genom 2021; 7:mgen000492. [PMID: 33439114 PMCID: PMC8115900 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major human pathogen that causes liver diseases. The main HBV RNAs are unspliced transcripts that encode the key viral proteins. Recent studies have shown that some of the HBV spliced transcript isoforms are predictive of liver cancer, yet the roles of these spliced transcripts remain elusive. Furthermore, there are nine major HBV genotypes common in different regions of the world, these genotypes may express different spliced transcript isoforms. To systematically study the HBV splice variants, we transfected human hepatoma cells, Huh7, with four HBV genotypes (A2, B2, C2 and D3), followed by deep RNA-sequencing. We found that 13-28 % of HBV RNAs were splice variants, which were reproducibly detected across independent biological replicates. These comprised 6 novel and 10 previously identified splice variants. In particular, a novel, singly spliced transcript was detected in genotypes A2 and D3 at high levels. The biological relevance of these splice variants was supported by their identification in HBV-positive liver biopsy and serum samples, and in HBV-infected primary human hepatocytes. Interestingly the levels of HBV splice variants varied across the genotypes, but the spliced pregenomic RNA SP1 and SP9 were the two most abundant splice variants. Counterintuitively, these singly spliced SP1 and SP9 variants had a suboptimal 5' splice site, supporting the idea that splicing of HBV RNAs is tightly controlled by the viral post-transcriptional regulatory RNA element.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Shen Lim
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Vitina Sozzi
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Margaret Littlejohn
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lilly K.W. Yuen
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Nadia Warner
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Brigid Betz-Stablein
- Systems Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Present address: Dermatology Research Centre, Diamantina Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Fabio Luciani
- Systems Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Peter A. Revill
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Chris M. Brown
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Xiao Y, Sun K, Duan Z, Liu Z, Li Y, Yan L, Song Y, Zou H, Zhuang H, Wang J, Li J. Quasispecies characteristic in "a" determinant region is a potential predictor for the risk of immunoprophylaxis failure of mother-to-child-transmission of sub-genotype C2 hepatitis B virus: a prospective nested case-control study. Gut 2020; 69:933-941. [PMID: 31446427 PMCID: PMC7229894 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2019-318278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was performed to explore the correlation between the characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) quasispecies in HBV-infected pregnant women and the risk of immunoprophylaxis failure for their infants. DESIGN In this prospective nested case-control study, the characteristics of HBV quasispecies in mothers whose infants were immunoprophylaxis success (control group) and those whose infants were immunoprophylaxis failure (case group) were analysed by the clone-based sequencing of full-length HBV genome and next-generation sequencing (NGS) of "a" determinant region, and were compared between the two groups. RESULTS The quasispecies characteristics including mutant frequency, Shannon entropy and mean genetic distance at amino acid level of "a" determinant region were significantly lower in case group than that in control group, using the full-length HBV genome clone-based sequencing assay. These results were confirmed by NGS assay. Notably, we discovered that the differences were also significant at nucleotide level by NGS assay. Furthermore, the risk of immunoprophylaxis failure could be predicted by analysing the three HBV quasispecies characteristics either at nucleotide level or at amino acid level of "a" determinant region, and the corresponding predictive values were tentatively set up. CONCLUSIONS HBV quasispecies with a more complex mutant spectrum in "a" determinant region might be more vulnerable to extinct through mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT). More importantly, analysing HBV quasispecies characteristics in pregnant women with high HBV DNA load might be helpful to predict the high-risk population of immunoprophylaxis failure, and consequently provide accurate intervention against MTCT of HBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiwei Xiao
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China
| | - Kuixia Sun
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China,Department of Clinical Laboratory, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, 100034, P.R. China
| | - Zhongping Duan
- Artificial Liver Center, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100054, P.R. China
| | - Zhixiu Liu
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China
| | - Yi Li
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China
| | - Ling Yan
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China
| | - Yarong Song
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China
| | - Huaibin Zou
- Artificial Liver Center, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100054, P.R. China
| | - Hui Zhuang
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China
| | - Jie Wang
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China
| | - Jie Li
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, 100083, P.R. China
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Wang J, Huang H, Liu Y, Chen R, Yan Y, Shi S, Xi J, Zou J, Yu G, Feng X, Lu F. HBV Genome and Life Cycle. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2019; 1179:17-37. [PMID: 31741332 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-9151-4_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains to be a serious threat to public health and is associated with many liver diseases including chronic hepatitis B (CHB), liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although nucleos(t)ide analogues (NA) and pegylated interferon-α (Peg-IFNα) have been confirmed to be efficient in inhibiting HBV replication, it is difficult to eradicate HBV and achieve the clinical cure of CHB. Therefore, long-term therapy has been recommended to CHB treatment under the current antiviral therapy. In this context, the new antiviral therapy targeting one or multiple critical steps of viral life cycle may be an alternative approach in future. In the last decade, the functional receptor [sodium-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP)] of HBV entry into hepatocytes has been discovered, and the immature nucleocapsids containing the non- or partially reverse-transcribed pregenomic RNA, the nucleocapsids containing double-strand linear DNA (dslDNA), and the empty particles devoid of any HBV nucleic acid have been found to be released into circulation, which have supplemented the life cycle of HBV. The understanding of HBV life cycle may offer a new instruction for searching the potential antiviral targets, and the new viral markers used to monitor the efficacy of antiviral therapy for CHB patients in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wang
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Hongxin Huang
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yongzhen Liu
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Ran Chen
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Ying Yan
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Shu Shi
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Jingyuan Xi
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Jun Zou
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Guangxin Yu
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoyu Feng
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Fengmin Lu
- Department of Microbiology & Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China.
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Xiang KH, Zhao CY, Wang S, Li Y, Su MZ, Wang QY, Xu XZ, Deng J, Zhuang H, Li T. Impacts of HBV rtH55R polymerase substitution on viral replication and rtM204I/V resistance to nucleoside/nucleotide antiviral drugs. Antivir Ther 2019; 23:33-42. [PMID: 28440785 DOI: 10.3851/imp3170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND High genetic variability at the reverse transcriptase (RT) region of HBV could confer resistance to nucleoside/nucleotide analogues (NUCs). The aim of this study was to identify new RT amino acid (AA) substitutions related to NUC resistance. METHODS HBV RT sequences of genotype C from 501 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients were analysed to identify potential RT substitutions related to NUC resistance. In vitro studies without and with NUCs were performed in a HepG2 cell line transfected by clones with RT harbouring wild-type or substituted AA(s) of interest. RESULTS Among 261 NUC-treated CHB patients, we found a high detection rate of rtM204I/V substitution (30.7% [80/261]). We identified a new substitution of rtH55R, and its detection rate had a significantly increasing trend from 3.8% (9/240) in the untreated group to 7.2% (13/181) or 33.8% (27/80) in the treated group with rtM204 or with rtM204I/V substitutions (P<0.0001). In vitro studies showed that rtH55R had a similar HBV DNA level compared to wild type. The rtH55R+rtM204I clone had a significantly better replication capacity than the rtM204I clone without NUCs (P<0.05). The replication capacity of the rtM204I clone was found to significantly decrease under lamivudine treatment, but this was not found in the rtH55R+rtM204I clone. CONCLUSIONS We identified a new HBV RT substitution of rtH55R in genotype-C-infected CHB patients. It is frequently found in combination with rtM204I/V substitution under NUC treatment. In vitro studies suggest that it might play some replication compensatory role in rtM204I mutants under lamivudine treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan-Hui Xiang
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng-Yu Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Yao Li
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Ming-Ze Su
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang-Yi Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Xi-Zhan Xu
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Juan Deng
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Zhuang
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
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He L, Su M, Ou G, Wang L, Deng J, Zhuang H, Xiang K, Li T. The modulation of HBsAg level by sI126T is affected by additional amino acid substitutions in the S region of HBV. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2019; 75:104006. [PMID: 31442597 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2019.104006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is a vital serum marker for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Amino acid (AA) substitutions in small hepatitis B surface protein (SHBs) are known to affect HBsAg level. However, how the genetic backbones of SHBs sequences would affect the roles of a specific AA substitution on HBsAg level remains unclear. In this study, we found that sI126 had a very high substitution detection rate of 17.54% (40/228) in untreated chronic hepatitis B cohort with subgenotype C2 HBV infection. Among different substitution types at sI126, the sI126T (N = 28) was found to be associated with significantly lower serum HBsAg level. Clone sequencing revealed that sI126T-harboring SHBs sequences had varied genetic backbones with zero to nine additional AA substitutions. Thus, we constructed 24 HBsAg expression plasmids harboring sI126T without (plasmid 1, P1) or with (P2-P24) additional AA substitution(s) and studied them in the HepG2 cells. The HBsAg levels were determined by both ELISA and Western blot. In vitro experiments showed that P1 significantly reduced HBsAg level and its secretion (p < .05), however, P2-P24 showed various extracellular and intracellular HBsAg levels. No significant differences were detected among the HBsAg mRNA levels of nine representative mutant plasmids. Our findings suggest that the modulation of HBsAg level by sI126T is affected by additional AA substitution(s) in the S region of HBV. The effects of AA combination substitutions in SHBs sequences on HBsAg levels are worthwhile for more attentions in terms of HBV biology and its clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyuan He
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Mingze Su
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Guomin Ou
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Luwei Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Juan Deng
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Hui Zhuang
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Kuanhui Xiang
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Xueyuan Road 38, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China.
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10
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Xiang K, Xiao Y, Li Y, He L, Wang L, Zhuang H, Li T. The Effect of the Hepatitis B Virus Surface Protein Truncated sC69 ∗ Mutation on Viral Infectivity and the Host Innate Immune Response. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1341. [PMID: 31249567 PMCID: PMC6584109 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses could rapidly diversify into variants, which has long been known to facilitate viral adaption in the host. Recent studies showed that cooperation among variants and wild-type (WT) also increased viral fitness. Here, a mutant of sC69∗ in small hepatitis B surface protein (SHBs) that resulted in premature stop was investigated and the frequency of sC69∗ was 4.37% (19/435), most of which coexisted with the WT (78.95%, 15/19), indicating mixed viral populations. Functional studies showed that sC69∗ mutant was associated with lower viral spread, but could be rescued by coexisting with the WT. The sC69∗ mutant showed to attenuate host innate immune response during infection and poly (I:C) treatment such as IL29, ISG15, and RIG-I (p < 0.05). The lower immune response was not caused by the lower replication of sC69∗ mutant. Our data provide information that sC69∗ coexisting with the WT might facilitate the fitness and persistence of the viral quasispecies in the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuanhui Xiang
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Yiwei Xiao
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Yao Li
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Lingyuan He
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Luwei Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Hui Zhuang
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
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Hao R, Xiang K, Shi Y, Zhao D, Tian H, Xu B, Zhu Y, Dong H, Ding H, Zhuang H, Hu J, Li T. Naturally Occurring Mutations within HBV Surface Promoter II Sequences Affect Transcription Activity, HBsAg and HBV DNA Levels in HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients. Viruses 2019; 11:v11010078. [PMID: 30669266 PMCID: PMC6356792 DOI: 10.3390/v11010078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 01/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface promoter II (SPII) have not been well studied in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. We aimed to investigate SPII mutations in such patients and their biological and clinical impacts. Direct sequencing was used to detect SPII mutations in 106 HBeAg-positive treatment-naïve CHB patients with genotype C (82.1% (87/106) was C2) HBV infection. Results showed that mutation frequency in transcription factor (TF) unbinding region was significantly higher than that in TF binding region of SPII (C1: 3.4% vs. 1.3%; C2: 2.6% vs. 1.3%; p < 0.0001). Luciferase assay revealed distinct promoter activities among SPII mutants; especially SPII of G120A mutant had a 15-fold higher activity than that of wild-type (p < 0.001). In vitro experiments in HepG2 cells showed that G82A, A115C and G120A mutants increased the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels, while C18T had an opposite effect. G82A, A115C and G120A mutants boosted the intracellular HBV total RNA level. G120A mutation resulted in an increased HBV DNA level in vitro, consistent with the serological results in patients. Thus, novel SPII mutations would affect promoter activity, HBsAg, HBV DNA and HBV total RNA levels, suggesting their potential biological and clinical significances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Hao
- School of Nursing, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China.
| | - Kuanhui Xiang
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Yan Shi
- Institute of Microbiology, Shijiazhuang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China.
| | - Dong Zhao
- Institute of Microbiology, Shijiazhuang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China.
| | - Huifang Tian
- Institute of Microbiology, Shijiazhuang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China.
| | - Baohong Xu
- Institute of Microbiology, Shijiazhuang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China.
| | - Yufang Zhu
- School of Nursing, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China.
| | - Huan Dong
- School of Nursing, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China.
| | - Hai Ding
- Hunan Sansure Biotech Incorporation, Lusong Road, Changsha 410000, Hunan, China.
| | - Hui Zhuang
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Jie Hu
- School of Nursing, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei, China.
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China.
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Rajoriya N, Combet C, Zoulim F, Janssen HLA. How viral genetic variants and genotypes influence disease and treatment outcome of chronic hepatitis B. Time for an individualised approach? J Hepatol 2017; 67:1281-1297. [PMID: 28736138 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2017.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2017] [Revised: 06/27/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a global problem. Several HBV genotypes exist with different biology and geographical prevalence. Whilst the future aim of HBV treatment remains viral eradication, current treatment strategies aim to suppress the virus and prevent the progression of liver disease. Current strategies also involve identification of patients for treatment, namely those at risk of progressive liver disease. Identification of HBV genotype, HBV mutants and other predictive factors allow for tailoured treatments, and risk-surveillance pathways, such as hepatocellular cancer screening. In the future, these factors may enable stratification not only of treatment decisions, but also of patients at risk of higher relapse rates when current therapies are discontinued. Newer technologies, such as next-generation sequencing, to assess drug-resistant or immune escape variants and quasi-species heterogeneity in patients, may allow for more information-based treatment decisions between the clinician and the patient. This article serves to discuss how HBV genotypes and genetic variants impact not only upon the disease course and outcomes, but also current treatment strategies. Adopting a personalised genotypic approach may play a role in future strategies to combat the disease. Herein, we discuss new technologies that may allow more informed decision-making for response guided therapy in the battle against HBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Rajoriya
- Toronto Centre for Liver Diseases, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Christophe Combet
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de recherche en cancérologie de Lyon, Lyon 69XXX, France
| | - Fabien Zoulim
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de recherche en cancérologie de Lyon, Lyon 69XXX, France; Department of Hepatology, Groupement Hospitalier Nord, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Harry L A Janssen
- Toronto Centre for Liver Diseases, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada.
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Xiang KH, Michailidis E, Ding H, Peng YQ, Su MZ, Li Y, Liu XE, Thi VLD, Wu XF, Schneider WM, Rice CM, Zhuang H, Li T. Effects of amino acid substitutions in hepatitis B virus surface protein on virion secretion, antigenicity, HBsAg and viral DNA. J Hepatol 2017; 66:288-296. [PMID: 27650283 PMCID: PMC5523976 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2016.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Revised: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 09/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS As important virological markers, serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels show large fluctuations among chronic hepatitis B patients. The aim of this study was to reveal the potential impact and mechanisms of amino acid substitutions in small hepatitis B surface proteins (SHBs) on serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels. METHODS Serum samples from 230 untreated chronic hepatitis B patients with genotype C HBV were analyzed in terms of HBV DNA levels, serological markers of HBV infection and SHBs sequences. In vitro functional analysis of the identified SHBs mutants was performed. RESULTS Among 230 SHBs sequences, there were 39 (16.96%) sequences with no mutation detected (wild-type) and 191 (83.04%) with single or multiple mutations. SHBs consist of 226 amino acids, of which 104 (46.02%) had mutations in our study. Some mutations (e.g., sE2G, sL21S, sR24K, sT47A/K, sC69stop (sC69∗), sL95W, sL98V, and sG145R) negatively correlated with serum HBsAg levels. HBsAg and HBV DNA levels from this group of patients had a positive correlation (r=0.61, p<0.001). In vitro analysis showed that these mutations reduced extracellular HBsAg and HBV DNA levels by restricting virion secretion and antibody binding capacity. Virion secretion could be rescued for sE2G, sC69∗, and sG145R by co-expression of wild-type HBsAg. CONCLUSION The serum HBsAg levels were lower in untreated CHB patients with novel SHBs mutations outside the major antigenic region than those without mutations. Underlying mechanisms include impairment of virion secretion and lower binding affinity to antibodies used for HBsAg measurements. LAY SUMMARY The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is a major viral protein of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) secreted into patient blood serum and its quantification value serves as an important marker for the evaluation of chronic HBV infection and antiviral response. We found a few new amino acid substitutions in HBsAg associated with lower serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels. These different substitutions might impair virion secretion, change the ability of HBsAg to bind to antibodies, or impact HBV replication. These could all result in decreased detectable levels of serum HBsAg. The factors affecting circulating HBsAg level and HBsAg detection are varied and caution is needed when interpreting clinical significance of serum HBsAg levels. Clinical trial number: NCT01088009.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan-hui Xiang
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China,Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Eleftherios Michailidis
- Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Hai Ding
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ya-qin Peng
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China,Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Ming-ze Su
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yao Li
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xue-en Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Viet Loan Dao Thi
- Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Xian-fang Wu
- Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - William M. Schneider
- Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Charles M. Rice
- Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Hui Zhuang
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China.
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Microbiology and Center of Infectious Disease, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China.
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Pereira-Gómez M, Bou JV, Andreu I, Sanjuán R. Lamivudine/Adefovir Treatment Increases the Rate of Spontaneous Mutation of Hepatitis B Virus in Patients. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163363. [PMID: 27649318 PMCID: PMC5029863 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The high levels of genetic diversity shown by hepatitis B virus (HBV) are commonly attributed to the low fidelity of its polymerase. However, the rate of spontaneous mutation of human HBV in vivo is currently unknown. Here, based on the evolutionary principle that the population frequency of lethal mutations equals the rate at which they are produced, we have estimated the mutation rate of HBV in vivo by scoring premature stop codons in 621 publicly available, full-length, molecular clone sequences derived from patients. This yielded an estimate of 8.7 × 10-5 spontaneous mutations per nucleotide per cell infection in untreated patients, which should be taken as an upper limit estimate because PCR errors and/or lack of effective lethality may inflate observed mutation frequencies. We found that, in patients undergoing lamivudine/adefovir treatment, the HBV mutation rate was elevated by more than sixfold, revealing a mutagenic effect of this treatment. Genome-wide analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms indicated that lamivudine/adefovir treatment increases the fraction of A/T-to-G/C base substitutions, consistent with recent work showing similar effects of lamivudine in cellular DNA. Based on these data, the rate at which HBV produces new genetic variants in treated patients is similar to or even higher than in RNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianoel Pereira-Gómez
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Juan-Vicente Bou
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Iván Andreu
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de València, València, Spain
| | - Rafael Sanjuán
- Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), Universitat de València, València, Spain
- Departament de Genètica, Universitat de València, València, Spain
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15
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Su M, Xiang K, Li Y, Li Y, Deng J, Xu X, Yan L, Zhuang H, Li T. Higher detection rates of amino acid substitutions in HBV reverse transcriptase/surface protein overlapping sequence is correlated with lower serum HBV DNA and HBsAg levels in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with subgenotype B2. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2016; 40:275-281. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Revised: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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