1
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Zhao L, Chen F, Quitt O, Festag M, Ringelhan M, Wisskirchen K, Festag J, Yakovleva L, Sureau C, Bohne F, Aichler M, Bruss V, Shevtsov M, van de Klundert M, Momburg F, Möhl BS, Protzer U. Hepatitis B virus envelope proteins can serve as therapeutic targets embedded in the host cell plasma membrane. Cell Microbiol 2021; 23:e13399. [PMID: 34729894 DOI: 10.1111/cmi.13399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major health threat causing 880,000 deaths each year. Available therapies control viral replication but do not cure HBV, leaving patients at risk to develop hepatocellular carcinoma. Here, we show that HBV envelope proteins (HBs)-besides their integration into endosomal membranes-become embedded in the plasma membrane where they can be targeted by redirected T-cells. HBs was detected on the surface of HBV-infected cells, in livers of mice replicating HBV and in HBV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. Staining with HBs-specific recombinant antibody MoMab recognising a conformational epitope indicated that membrane-associated HBs remains correctly folded in HBV-replicating cells in cell culture and in livers of HBV-transgenic mice in vivo. MoMab coated onto superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles allowed to detect membrane-associated HBs after HBV infection by electron microscopy in distinct stretches of the hepatocyte plasma membrane. Last but not least, we demonstrate that HBs located on the cell surface allow therapeutic targeting of HBV-positive cells by T-cells either engrafted with a chimeric antigen receptor or redirected by bispecific, T-cell engager antibodies. TAKE AWAYS: HBs become translocated to the plasma membrane. Novel, recombinant antibody confirmed proper conformation of HBs on the membrane. HBs provide an interesting target by T-cell-based, potentially curative therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lili Zhao
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Fuwang Chen
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Oliver Quitt
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Marvin Festag
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Marc Ringelhan
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Karin Wisskirchen
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Julia Festag
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Luidmila Yakovleva
- Laboratory of Biomedical Nanotechnologies, Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Camille Sureau
- Molecular Virology laboratory, Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, Paris, France
| | - Felix Bohne
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Michaela Aichler
- Research Unit Analytical Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
| | - Volker Bruss
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Maxim Shevtsov
- Laboratory of Biomedical Nanotechnologies, Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), St. Petersburg, Russia.,Center for Translational Cancer Research, University Hospital rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Maarten van de Klundert
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Frank Momburg
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Applied Tumor Immunity, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Britta S Möhl
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich Partner Site, Munich, Germany
| | - Ulrike Protzer
- Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich/Helmholtz Zentrum München, TUM School of Medicine, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich Partner Site, Munich, Germany
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2
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Pérez-Vargas J, Teppa E, Amirache F, Boson B, Pereira de Oliveira R, Combet C, Böckmann A, Fusil F, Freitas N, Carbone A, Cosset FL. A fusion peptide in preS1 and the human protein disulfide isomerase ERp57 are involved in hepatitis B virus membrane fusion process. eLife 2021; 10:64507. [PMID: 34190687 PMCID: PMC8282342 DOI: 10.7554/elife.64507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell entry of enveloped viruses relies on the fusion between the viral and plasma or endosomal membranes, through a mechanism that is triggered by a cellular signal. Here we used a combination of computational and experimental approaches to unravel the main determinants of hepatitis B virus (HBV) membrane fusion process. We discovered that ERp57 is a host factor critically involved in triggering HBV fusion and infection. Then, through modeling approaches, we uncovered a putative allosteric cross-strand disulfide (CSD) bond in the HBV S glycoprotein and we demonstrate that its stabilization could prevent membrane fusion. Finally, we identified and characterized a potential fusion peptide in the preS1 domain of the HBV L glycoprotein. These results underscore a membrane fusion mechanism that could be triggered by ERp57, allowing a thiol/disulfide exchange reaction to occur and regulate isomerization of a critical CSD, which ultimately leads to the exposition of the fusion peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimena Pérez-Vargas
- CIRI - Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, U1111, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Elin Teppa
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IBPS, Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative (LCQB) - UMR 7238, Paris, France.,Sorbonne Université, Institut des Sciences du Calcul et des Données (ISCD), Paris, France
| | - Fouzia Amirache
- CIRI - Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, U1111, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Bertrand Boson
- CIRI - Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, U1111, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Rémi Pereira de Oliveira
- CIRI - Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, U1111, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Christophe Combet
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon (CRCL), UMR Inserm 1052 - CNRS 5286 - Université Lyon 1 - Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
| | - Anja Böckmann
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, UMR5086 CNRS-Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Floriane Fusil
- CIRI - Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, U1111, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Natalia Freitas
- CIRI - Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, U1111, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Alessandra Carbone
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, IBPS, Laboratoire de Biologie Computationnelle et Quantitative (LCQB) - UMR 7238, Paris, France
| | - François-Loïc Cosset
- CIRI - Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, U1111, CNRS, UMR5308, ENS Lyon, Lyon, France
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3
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Salpini R, Battisti A, Piermatteo L, Carioti L, Anastasiou OE, Gill US, Di Carlo D, Colagrossi L, Duca L, Bertoli A, La Rosa KY, Fabeni L, Iuvara A, Malagnino V, Cerva C, Lichtner M, Mastroianni CM, De Sanctis GM, Paoloni M, Marignani M, Pasquazzi C, Iapadre N, Parruti G, Vecchiet J, Sarmati L, Andreoni M, Angelico M, Grelli S, T Kennedy P, Verheyen J, Aquaro S, Silberstein FC, Perno CF, Svicher V. Key mutations in the C-terminus of the HBV surface glycoprotein correlate with lower HBsAg levels in vivo, hinder HBsAg secretion in vitro and reduce HBsAg structural stability in the setting of HBeAg-negative chronic HBV genotype-D infection. Emerg Microbes Infect 2020; 9:928-939. [PMID: 32312174 PMCID: PMC7269061 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1757998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidences suggest that HBsAg-production varies across HBV-genotypes. HBsAg C-terminus plays a crucial role for HBsAg-secretion. Here, we evaluate HBsAg-levels in different HBV-genotypes in HBeAg-negative chronic infection, the correlation of specific mutations in HBsAg C-terminus with HBsAg-levels in-vivo, their impact on HBsAg-secretion in-vitro and on structural stability in-silico. HBsAg-levels were investigated in 323 drug-naïve HBeAg-negative patients chronically infected with HBV genotype-D(N = 228), -A(N = 65) and -E(N = 30). Genotype-D was characterized by HBsAg-levels lower than genotype-A and -E (3.3[2.7–3.8]IU/ml; 3.8[3.5–4.2]IU/ml and 3.9[3.7–4.2]IU/ml, P < 0.001). Results confirmed by multivariable analysis correcting for patients’demographics, HBV-DNA, ALT and infection-status. In genotype-D, specific C-terminus mutations (V190A-S204N-Y206C-Y206F-S210N) significantly correlate with HBsAg<1000IU/ml(P-value from <0.001 to 0.04). These mutations lie in divergent pathways involving other HBsAg C-terminus mutations: V190A + F220L (Phi = 0.41, P = 0.003), S204N + L205P (Phi = 0.36, P = 0.005), Y206F + S210R (Phi = 0.47, P < 0.001) and S210N + F220L (Phi = 0.40, P = 0.006). Notably, patients with these mutational pairs present HBsAg-levels 1log lower than patients without them(P-value from 0.003 to 0.02). In-vitro, the above-mentioned mutational pairs determined a significant decrease in HBsAg secretion-efficiency compared to wt(P-value from <0.001 to 0.02). Structurally, these mutational pairs reduced HBsAg C-terminus stability and determined a rearrangement of this domain. In conclusion, HBsAg-levels in genotype-D are significantly lower than in genotype-A and -E in HBeAg-negative patients. In genotype-D, specific mutational clusters in HBsAg C-terminus correlate with lower HBsAg-levels in-vivo, hamper HBsAg-release in-vitro and affect its structural stability, supporting their detrimental role on HBsAg-secretion. In this light, genotypic-testing can be a valuable tool to optimize the clinical interpretation of HBsAg in genotype-D and to provide information on HBV-pathogenicity and disease-progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romina Salpini
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Arianna Battisti
- Barts Liver Centre, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London SMD, QMUL, London, UK
| | - Lorenzo Piermatteo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Carioti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Olympia E Anastasiou
- Institute of Virology, University-Hospital, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Upkar S Gill
- Barts Liver Centre, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London SMD, QMUL, London, UK
| | - Domenico Di Carlo
- Paediatric Clinical Research Center "Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi", University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Luna Colagrossi
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Leonardo Duca
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Ada Bertoli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Katia Yu La Rosa
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Lavinia Fabeni
- Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" -IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Iuvara
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Carlotta Cerva
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Miriam Lichtner
- Public Health and Infectious Disease Department, "Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Maurizio Paoloni
- Infectious Disease Unit, "S.S. Filippo e Nicola" Hospital, Avezzano, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Giustino Parruti
- Infectious Disease Unit, Pescara General Hospital, Pescara, Italy
| | - Jacopo Vecchiet
- Department of Medicine and Science of Aging, Clinic of Infectious Diseases, University "G. d'Annunzio" Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Loredana Sarmati
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Andreoni
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Mario Angelico
- Hepatology Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Sandro Grelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.,Microbiology and Virology Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | - Patrick T Kennedy
- Barts Liver Centre, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London SMD, QMUL, London, UK
| | - Jens Verheyen
- Institute of Virology, University-Hospital, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Stefano Aquaro
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | | | | | - Valentina Svicher
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
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4
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Colagrossi L, Salpini R, Scutari R, Carioti L, Battisti A, Piermatteo L, Bertoli A, Fabeni L, Minichini C, Trimoulet P, Fleury H, Nebuloso E, De Cristofaro M, Cappiello G, Spanò A, Malagnino V, Mari T, Barlattani A, Iapadre N, Lichtner M, Mastroianni C, Lenci I, Pasquazzi C, De Sanctis GM, Galeota Lanza A, Stanzione M, Stornaiuolo G, Marignani M, Sarmati L, Andreoni M, Angelico M, Ceccherini-Silberstein F, Perno CF, Coppola N, Svicher V. HDV Can Constrain HBV Genetic Evolution in HBsAg: Implications for the Identification of Innovative Pharmacological Targets. Viruses 2018; 10:v10070363. [PMID: 29987240 PMCID: PMC6071122 DOI: 10.3390/v10070363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic HBV + HDV infection is associated with greater risk of liver fibrosis, earlier hepatic decompensation, and liver cirrhosis hepatocellular carcinoma compared to HBV mono-infection. However, to-date no direct anti-HDV drugs are available in clinical practice. Here, we identified conserved and variable regions in HBsAg and HDAg domains in HBV + HDV infection, a critical finding for the design of innovative therapeutic agents. The extent of amino-acid variability was measured by Shannon-Entropy (Sn) in HBsAg genotype-d sequences from 31 HBV + HDV infected and 62 HBV mono-infected patients (comparable for demographics and virological-parameters), and in 47 HDAg genotype-1 sequences. Positions with Sn = 0 were defined as conserved. The percentage of conserved HBsAg-positions was significantly higher in HBV + HDV infection than HBV mono-infection (p = 0.001). Results were confirmed after stratification for HBeAg-status and patients’ age. A Sn = 0 at specific positions in the C-terminus HBsAg were correlated with higher HDV-RNA, suggesting that conservation of these positions can preserve HDV-fitness. Conversely, HDAg was characterized by a lower percentage of conserved-residues than HBsAg (p < 0.001), indicating higher functional plasticity. Furthermore, specific HDAg-mutations were significantly correlated with higher HDV-RNA, suggesting a role in conferring HDV replicative-advantage. Among HDAg-domains, only the virus-assembly signal exhibited a high genetic conservation (75% of conserved-residues). In conclusion, HDV can constrain HBsAg genetic evolution to preserve its fitness. The identification of conserved regions in HDAg poses the basis for designing innovative targets against HDV-infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luna Colagrossi
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Romina Salpini
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Rossana Scutari
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Luca Carioti
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Arianna Battisti
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Lorenzo Piermatteo
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Ada Bertoli
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Lavinia Fabeni
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Carmine Minichini
- Department of Mental Health and Public Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, 81100 Naples, Italy.
| | - Pascale Trimoulet
- Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital Pellegrin tripode, 33076 Bordeaux, France.
| | - Hervé Fleury
- Laboratoire de Virologie, Hôpital Pellegrin tripode, 33076 Bordeaux, France.
| | - Elena Nebuloso
- Unit of Microbiology, Sandro Pertini Hospital, 00157 Rome, Italy.
| | | | | | - Alberto Spanò
- Unit of Microbiology, Sandro Pertini Hospital, 00157 Rome, Italy.
| | - Vincenzo Malagnino
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Terenzio Mari
- Hepatology Unit, Nuovo Regina Margherita Hospital, 00153 Rome, Italy.
| | - Angelo Barlattani
- Hepatology Unit, Nuovo Regina Margherita Hospital, 00153 Rome, Italy.
| | - Nerio Iapadre
- Infectious Diseases Unit, San Salvatore Hospital, 67100 L'Aquila, Italy.
| | - Miriam Lichtner
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Claudio Mastroianni
- Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University, 00185 Rome, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Lenci
- Hepatology Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | | | | | | | - Maria Stanzione
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viral Unit, 81100 Naples, Italy.
| | - Gianfranca Stornaiuolo
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Viral Unit, 81100 Naples, Italy.
| | | | - Loredana Sarmati
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Massimo Andreoni
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Mario Angelico
- Hepatology Unit, Tor Vergata University Hospital, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | | | - Carlo-Federico Perno
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
- Haematology and Oncohematology, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy.
| | - Nicola Coppola
- Department of Mental Health and Public Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, 81100 Naples, Italy.
| | - Valentina Svicher
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Tor Vergata University, 00133 Rome, Italy.
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5
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Mortazavi M, Zarenezhad M, Gholamzadeh S, Alavian SM, Ghorbani M, Dehghani R, Malekpour A, Meshkibaf M, Fakhrzad A. Bioinformatic Identification of Rare Codon Clusters (RCCs) in HBV Genome and Evaluation of RCCs in Proteins Structure of Hepatitis B Virus. HEPATITIS MONTHLY 2016; 16:e39909. [PMID: 27882067 PMCID: PMC5116127 DOI: 10.5812/hepatmon.39909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2016] [Revised: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 09/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus (HBV) as an infectious disease that has nine genotypes (A - I) and a 'putative' genotype J. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to identify the rare codon clusters (RCC) in the HBV genome and to evaluate these RCCs in the HBV proteins structure. METHODS For detection of protein family accession numbers (Pfam) in HBV proteins, the UniProt database and Pfam search tool were used. Protein family accession numbers is a comprehensive and accurate collection of protein domains and families. It contains annotation of each family in the form of textual descriptions, links to other resources and literature references. Genome projects have used Pfam extensively for large-scale functional annotation of genomic data; Pfam database is a large collection of protein families, each represented by multiple sequence alignments and hidden Markov models (HMMs). The Pfam search tools are databases that identify Pfam of proteins. These Pfam IDs were analyzed in Sherlocc program and the location of RCCs in HBV genome and proteins were detected and reported as translated EMBL nucleotide sequence data library (TrEMBL) entries. The TrEMBL is a computer-annotated supplement of SWISS-PROT that contains all the translations of European molecular biology laboratory (EMBL) nucleotide sequence entries not yet integrated in SWISS-PROT. Furthermore, the structures of TrEMBL entries proteins were studied in the PDB database and 3D structures of the HBV proteins and locations of RCCs were visualized and studied using Swiss PDB Viewer software®. RESULTS The Pfam search tool found nine protein families in three frames. Results of Pfams studies in the Sherlocc program showed that this program has not identified RCCs in the external core antigen (PF08290) and truncated HBeAg gene (PF08290) of HBV. By contrast, the RCCs were identified in gene of hepatitis core antigen (PF00906 and the residues 224 - 234 and 251 - 255), large envelope protein S (PF00695 and the residues 53-56 and 70 - 84), X protein (PF00739 and the residues 10 - 24, 29 - 83, 95 - 99. 122 - 129, 139 - 143), DNA polymerase (viral) N-terminal domain (PF00242 and the residues 59 - 62, 214 - 217, 407 - 413) and protein P (Pf00336 and the residues 225 - 228). In HBV genome, seven RCCs were identified in the gene area of hepatitis core antigen, large envelope protein S and DNA polymerase, while protein structures of TrEMBL entries sequences found in Sherlocc program outputs were not complete. CONCLUSIONS Based on the location of detected RCCs in the structure of HBV proteins, it was found that these RCCs may have a critical role in correct folding of HBV proteins and can be considered as drug targets. The results of this study provide new and deep perspectives about structure of HBV proteins for further researches and designing new drugs for treatment of HBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mojtaba Mortazavi
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, IR Iran
| | - Mohammad Zarenezhad
- Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran
- Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization of Iran, Tehran, IR Iran
| | - Saeid Gholamzadeh
- Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization of Iran, Tehran, IR Iran
| | - Seyed Moayed Alavian
- Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Middle East Liver Disease Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran
| | - Mohammad Ghorbani
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, IR Iran
| | - Reza Dehghani
- Pharmacology Department, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran
| | - Abdorrasoul Malekpour
- Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization of Iran, Tehran, IR Iran
- Corresponding Author: Abdorrasoul Malekpour, Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization of Iran, Tehran, IR Iran. Tel: +98-9174109402, +98-7136324100, E-mail:
| | - Mohammadhasan Meshkibaf
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, IR Iran
| | - Ali Fakhrzad
- Gastroenterohepatology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran
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6
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Osiowy C, Kowalec K, Giles E. Discordant diagnostic results due to a hepatitis B virus T123A HBsAg mutant. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2016; 85:328-333. [DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2016.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 04/04/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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7
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Hong LZ, Hong S, Wong HT, Aw PPK, Cheng Y, Wilm A, de Sessions PF, Lim SG, Nagarajan N, Hibberd ML, Quake SR, Burkholder WF. BAsE-Seq: a method for obtaining long viral haplotypes from short sequence reads. Genome Biol 2015; 15:517. [PMID: 25406369 DOI: 10.1186/preaccept-6768001251451949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We present a method for obtaining long haplotypes, of over 3 kb in length, using a short-read sequencer, Barcode-directed Assembly for Extra-long Sequences (BAsE-Seq). BAsE-Seq relies on transposing a template-specific barcode onto random segments of the template molecule and assembling the barcoded short reads into complete haplotypes. We applied BAsE-Seq on mixed clones of hepatitis B virus and accurately identified haplotypes occurring at frequencies greater than or equal to 0.4%, with >99.9% specificity. Applying BAsE-Seq to a clinical sample, we obtained over 9,000 viral haplotypes, which provided an unprecedented view of hepatitis B virus population structure during chronic infection. BAsE-Seq is readily applicable for monitoring quasispecies evolution in viral diseases.
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8
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Abstract
We present a method for obtaining long haplotypes, of over 3 kb in length, using a short-read sequencer, Barcode-directed Assembly for Extra-long Sequences (BAsE-Seq). BAsE-Seq relies on transposing a template-specific barcode onto random segments of the template molecule and assembling the barcoded short reads into complete haplotypes. We applied BAsE-Seq on mixed clones of hepatitis B virus and accurately identified haplotypes occurring at frequencies greater than or equal to 0.4%, with >99.9% specificity. Applying BAsE-Seq to a clinical sample, we obtained over 9,000 viral haplotypes, which provided an unprecedented view of hepatitis B virus population structure during chronic infection. BAsE-Seq is readily applicable for monitoring quasispecies evolution in viral diseases.
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Mirabelli C, Surdo M, Van Hemert F, Lian Z, Salpini R, Cento V, Cortese MF, Aragri M, Pollicita M, Alteri C, Bertoli A, Berkhout B, Micheli V, Gubertini G, Santoro MM, Romano S, Visca M, Bernassola M, Longo R, De Sanctis GM, Trimoulet P, Fleury H, Marino N, Mazzotta F, Cappiello G, Spanò A, Sarrecchia C, Zhang JM, Andreoni M, Angelico M, Verheyen J, Perno CF, Svicher V. Specific mutations in the C-terminus domain of HBV surface antigen significantly correlate with low level of serum HBV-DNA in patients with chronic HBV infection. J Infect 2014; 70:288-98. [PMID: 25452041 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2014.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2014] [Revised: 09/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To define HBsAg-mutations correlated with different serum HBV-DNA levels in HBV chronically-infected drug-naive patients. METHODS This study included 187 patients stratified into the following ranges of serum HBV-DNA:12-2000 IU/ml, 2000-100,000 IU/ml, and >100,000 IU/ml. HBsAg-mutations were associated with HBV-DNA levels by applying a Bayesian-Partitional-Model and Fisher-exact test. Mutant and wild-type HBV genotype-D genomes were expressed in Huh7 cells and HBsAg-production was determined in cell-supernatants at 3 days-post-transfection. RESULTS Specific HBsAg-mutations (M197T,-S204N-Y206C/H-F220L) were significantly correlated with serum HBV-DNA <2000 IU/ml (posterior-probability>90%, P < 0.05). The presence of Y206C/H and/or F220L was also associated with lower median (IQR) HBsAg-levels and lower median (IQR) transaminases (for HBsAg:250[115-840] IU/ml for Y206C/H and/or F220L versus 4300[640-11,838] IU/ml for wild-type, P = 0.023; for ALT:28[21-40] IU/ml versus 53[34-90] IU/ml, P < 0.001). These mutations were localized in the HBsAg C-terminus, known to be involved in virion and/or HBsAg secretion. The co-occurrence of Y206C + F220L was found significant by cluster-analysis, (P = 0.02). In addition, in an in-vitro model Y206C + F220L determined a 2.8-3.3 fold-reduction of HBsAg-amount released in supernatants compared to single mutants and wt (Y206C + F220L = 5,679 IU/ml; Y206H = 16,305 IU/ml; F220L = 18,368 IU/ml; Y206C = 18,680 IU/ml; wt = 14,280 IU/ml, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Specific HBsAg-mutations (compartmentalized in the HBsAg C-terminus) correlated with low-serum HBV-DNA and HBsAg-levels. These findings can be important to understand mechanisms underlying low HBV replicative potential including the inactive-carrier state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Mirabelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Surdo
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Formijn Van Hemert
- Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1000 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Zhichao Lian
- Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520 United States
| | - Romina Salpini
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Cento
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Francesca Cortese
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Marianna Aragri
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Pollicita
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Alteri
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Ada Bertoli
- University Hospital of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Ben Berkhout
- Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, 1000 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | - Maria Mercedes Santoro
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Romano
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, "S. Pertini" Hospital, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Visca
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, "S. Pertini" Hospital, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Martina Bernassola
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, "S. Pertini" Hospital, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Roberta Longo
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, "S. Pertini" Hospital, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Pascal Trimoulet
- Virology Laboratory, Centre Hospitalier Régional et Université "Victor Segalen", CHU de Bordeaux, 33300 Bordeaux, France
| | - Hervè Fleury
- Virology Laboratory, Centre Hospitalier Régional et Université "Victor Segalen", CHU de Bordeaux, 33300 Bordeaux, France
| | | | | | | | - Alberto Spanò
- Microbiology and Virology Unit, "S. Pertini" Hospital, 00100 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Mario Angelico
- University Hospital of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Jens Verheyen
- Institute of Virology, University Hospital, 45147 Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Carlo Federico Perno
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy; University Hospital of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Svicher
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", 00100 Rome, Italy.
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Muhamad A, Ho KL, Rahman MBA, Uhrín D, Tan WS. Solution structure and in silico binding of a cyclic peptide with hepatitis B surface antigen. Chem Biol Drug Des 2014; 81:784-94. [PMID: 23405984 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2012] [Revised: 01/21/2013] [Accepted: 02/09/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A specific ligand targeting the immunodominant region of hepatitis B virus is desired in neutralizing the infectivity of the virus. In a previous study, a disulfide constrained cyclic peptide cyclo S(1) ,S(9) Cys-Glu-Thr-Gly-Ala-Lys-Pro-His-Cys (S(1) , S(9) -cyclo-CETGAKPHC) was isolated from a phage displayed cyclic peptide library using an affinity selection method against hepatitis B surface antigen. The cyclic peptide binds tightly to hepatitis B surface antigen with a relative dissociation constant (KD (rel) ) of 2.9 nm. The binding site of the peptide was located at the immunodominant region on hepatitis B surface antigen. Consequently, this study was aimed to elucidate the structure of the cyclic peptide and its interaction with hepatitis B surface antigen in silico. The solution structure of this cyclic peptide was solved using (1) H, (13) C, and (15) N NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations with NMR-derived distance and torsion angle restraints. The cyclic peptide adopted two distinct conformations due to the isomerization of the Pro residue with one structured region in the ETGA sequence. Docking studies of the peptide ensemble with a model structure of hepatitis B surface antigen revealed that the cyclic peptide can potentially be developed as a therapeutic drug that inhibits the virus-host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azira Muhamad
- Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
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11
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Rodriguez-Frias F, Buti M, Tabernero D, Homs M. Quasispecies structure, cornerstone of hepatitis B virus infection: Mass sequencing approach. World J Gastroenterol 2013; 19:6995-7023. [PMID: 24222943 PMCID: PMC3819535 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i41.6995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2013] [Revised: 07/23/2013] [Accepted: 09/17/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a DNA virus with complex replication, and high replication and mutation rates, leading to a heterogeneous viral population. The population is comprised of genomes that are closely related, but not identical; hence, HBV is considered a viral quasispecies. Quasispecies variability may be somewhat limited by the high degree of overlapping between the HBV coding regions, which is especially important in the P and S gene overlapping regions, but is less significant in the X and preCore/Core genes. Despite this restriction, several clinically and pathologically relevant variants have been characterized along the viral genome. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches enable high-throughput analysis of thousands of clonally amplified regions and are powerful tools for characterizing genetic diversity in viral strains. In the present review, we update the information regarding HBV variability and present a summary of the various NGS approaches available for research in this virus. In addition, we provide an analysis of the clinical implications of HBV variants and their study by NGS.
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12
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Tedder RS, Bissett SL, Myers R, Ijaz S. The 'Red Queen' dilemma--running to stay in the same place: reflections on the evolutionary vector of HBV in humans. Antivir Ther 2013; 18:489-96. [PMID: 23792884 DOI: 10.3851/imp2655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Estimates for the evolutionary rate of HBV until now have been interpreted as showing that HBV is a relatively recent acquisition for mankind. The existence of defined HBV genotypes is thought to represent past founder effects. We have explored virus mutation in a group of 48 persistently infected blood donors sampled at two points in time and suggest otherwise. METHODS HBV-infected donors were detected by hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) screening and staged by hepatitis B e markers. Serum DNA from those persistently infected with HBV was characterized by consensus sequencing and the amino acid sequences inferred. These were compared against consensus genotype sequences and divergence measured at two points in time. RESULTS Rates of viral mutation were higher across both HBsAg and hepatitis B core antigen in the group of donors seropositive for hepatitis B e antibody (1.36×10⁻³ and 1.54×10⁻³ changes per residue per year, respectively) than in those seropositive for hepatitis B e antigen (4.59×10⁻⁴ and 6.62×10⁻⁴ changes per residue per year, respectively). Codon mutations reverting to the genotype consensus were commonly seen. Codon changes were clustered close to the C-terminal region of HBsAg and were accommodated in overlapping polymerase by synonymous substitutions. CONCLUSIONS It is suggested that in vivo HBV behaves as a self-normalizing meme and mutational rates, although high, do not lead to significant change over time in a persistent infection. This would be compatible with co-evolution within its human host and introduction within humans being an ancient occurrence.
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13
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Rodriguez-Frías F, Tabernero D, Quer J, Esteban JI, Ortega I, Domingo E, Cubero M, Camós S, Ferrer-Costa C, Sánchez A, Jardí R, Schaper M, Homs M, Garcia-Cehic D, Guardia J, Esteban R, Buti M. Ultra-deep pyrosequencing detects conserved genomic sites and quantifies linkage of drug-resistant amino acid changes in the hepatitis B virus genome. PLoS One 2012; 7:e37874. [PMID: 22666402 PMCID: PMC3364280 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2012] [Accepted: 04/25/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Selection of amino acid substitutions associated with resistance to nucleos(t)ide-analog (NA) therapy in the hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase (RT) and their combination in a single viral genome complicates treatment of chronic HBV infection and may affect the overlapping surface coding region. In this study, the variability of an overlapping polymerase-surface region, critical for NA resistance, is investigated before treatment and under antiviral therapy, with assessment of NA-resistant amino acid changes simultaneously occurring in the same genome (linkage analysis) and their influence on the surface coding region. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Serum samples obtained from chronic HBV-infected patients at pre-treatment and during sequential NA treatment with lamivudine, adefovir, and entecavir were analyzed by ultra-deep pyrosequencing (UDPS) using the GS-FLX platform (454 Life Sciences-Roche). The pre-treatment HBV quasispecies was not enriched with NA-resistant substitutions. The frequencies of this type of substitutions at pre-treatment did not predict the frequencies observed during lamivudine treatment. On linkage analysis of the RT region studied, NA-resistant HBV variants (except for rtA181T) were present in combinations of amino acid substitutions that increased in complexity after viral breakthrough to entecavir, at which time the combined variant rtL180M-S202G-M204V-V207I predominated. In the overlapping surface region, NA-resistant substitutions caused selection of stop codons in a significant percentage of sequences both at pre-treatment and during sequential treatment; the rtA181T substitution, related to sW172stop, predominated during treatment with lamivudine and adefovir. A highly conserved RT residue (rtL155), even more conserved than the essential residues in the RT catalytic motif YMDD, was identified in all samples. CONCLUSIONS UDPS methodology enabled quantification of HBV quasispecies variants, even those harboring complex combinations of amino acid changes. The high percentage of potentially defective genomes, especially in the surface region, suggests effective trans-complementation of these variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Rodriguez-Frías
- Biochemistry Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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14
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van Hemert FJ, van de Klundert MAA, Lukashov VV, Kootstra NA, Berkhout B, Zaaijer HL. Protein X of hepatitis B virus: origin and structure similarity with the central domain of DNA glycosylase. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23392. [PMID: 21850270 PMCID: PMC3153941 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2011] [Accepted: 07/15/2011] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Orthohepadnavirus (mammalian hosts) and avihepadnavirus (avian hosts) constitute the family of Hepadnaviridae and differ by their capability and inability for expression of protein X, respectively. Origin and functions of X are unclear. The evolutionary analysis at issue of X indicates that present strains of orthohepadnavirus started to diverge about 25,000 years ago, simultaneously with the onset of avihepadnavirus diversification. These evolutionary events were preceded by a much longer period during which orthohepadnavirus developed a functional protein X while avihepadnavirus evolved without X. An in silico generated 3D-model of orthohepadnaviral X protein displayed considerable similarity to the tertiary structure of DNA glycosylases (key enzymes of base excision DNA repair pathways). Similarity is confined to the central domain of MUG proteins with the typical DNA-binding facilities but without the capability of DNA glycosylase enzymatic activity. The hypothetical translation product of a vestigial X reading frame in the genome of duck hepadnavirus could also been folded into a DNA glycosylase-like 3D-structure. In conclusion, the most recent common ancestor of ortho- and avihepadnavirus carried an X sequence with orthology to the central domain of DNA glycosylase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Formijn J. van Hemert
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail: (FJvH); (VVL)
| | - Maarten A. A. van de Klundert
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vladimir V. Lukashov
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail: (FJvH); (VVL)
| | - Neeltje A. Kootstra
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ben Berkhout
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hans L. Zaaijer
- Laboratory Clinical Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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15
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Feng H, Hu KH. Structural characteristics and molecular mechanism of hepatitis B virus reverse transcriptase. Virol Sin 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s12250-009-3076-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
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16
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Beale MA, Ijaz S, Tedder RS. The genetic backbone modulates the phenotype of hepatitis B surface antigen mutants. J Gen Virol 2009; 91:68-73. [PMID: 19759242 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.013078-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine and diagnostic escape mutants are a growing concern. The principle target of detection, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), encoded by S, is completely overlapped by the reverse transcriptase encoding P. With the increased incidence of nucleos(t)ide analogue resistance altering P, the concurrent impact on S must be assessed. HBV DNA from 59 HBsAg-positive plasma samples was sequenced across the polymerase/surface region and the amino acid sequence of HBsAg was inferred. ELISAs were formatted containing individually bound monoclonal antibodies directed against three discrete epitopes on HBsAg. Similar point mutations occurring in different genotypes were shown to influence epitope conformation differently, indicating that the genetic backbone is a major factor in predicting phenotype. C-terminal changes associated with antiviral resistance were found to modulate epitope profiles of HBsAg. Treatment options which may promote drug resistance should be avoided to both protect antiviral treatment and prevent facilitation of vaccine and diagnostic escape mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathew A Beale
- Blood Borne Virus Unit, Virus Reference Department, Centre for Infections, Health Protection Agency, London, UK
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A function essential to viral entry underlies the hepatitis B virus "a" determinant. J Virol 2009; 83:9321-8. [PMID: 19570861 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00678-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) particles bear a receptor-binding site located in the pre-S1 domain of the large HBV envelope protein. Using the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) as a surrogate of HBV, a second infectivity determinant was recently identified in the envelope proteins antigenic loop (AGL), and its activity was shown to depend upon cysteine residues that are essential for the structure of the HBV immunodominant "a" determinant. Here, an alanine-scanning mutagenesis approach was used to precisely map the AGL infectivity determinant to a set of conserved residues, which are predicted to cluster together with cysteines in the AGL disulfide bridges network. Several substitutions suppressed both infectivity and the "a" determinant, whereas others were infectivity deficient with only a partial impact on antigenicity. Interestingly, G145R, a substitution often arising under immune pressure selection and detrimental to the "a" determinant, had no effect on infectivity. Altogether, these findings indicate that the AGL infectivity determinant is closely related to, yet separable from, the "a" determinant. Finally, a selection of HDV entry-deficient mutations were introduced at the surface of HBV virions and shown to also abrogate infection in the HBV model. Therefore, a function can at last be assigned to the orphan "a" determinant, the first-discovered marker of HBV infection. The characterization of the AGL functions at viral entry may lead to novel approaches in the development of antivirals against HBV.
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van Hemert FJ, Zaaijer HL, Berkhout B, Lukashov VV. Occult hepatitis B infection: an evolutionary scenario. Virol J 2008; 5:146. [PMID: 19077239 PMCID: PMC2637267 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-5-146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2008] [Accepted: 12/11/2008] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Occult or latent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is defined as infection with detectable HBV DNA and undetectable surface antigen (HBsAg) in patients' blood. The cause of an overt HBV infection becoming an occult one is unknown. To gain insight into the mechanism of the development of occult infection, we compared the full-length HBV genome from a blood donor carrying an occult infection (d4) with global genotype D genomes. Results The phylogenetic analysis of polymerase, core and X protein sequences did not distinguish d4 from other genotype D strains. Yet, d4 surface protein formed the evolutionary outgroup relative to all other genotype D strains. Its evolutionary branch was the only one where accumulation of substitutions suggests positive selection (dN/dS = 1.3787). Many of these substitutiions accumulated specifically in regions encoding the core/surface protein interface, as revealed in a 3D-modeled protein complex. We identified a novel RNA splicing event (deleting nucleotides 2986-202) that abolishes surface protein gene expression without affecting polymerase, core and X-protein related functions. Genotype D strains differ in their ability to perform this 2986-202 splicing. Strains prone to 2986-202 splicing constitute a separate clade in a phylogenetic tree of genotype D HBVs. A single substitution (G173T) that is associated with clade membership alters the local RNA secondary structure and is proposed to affect splicing efficiency at the 202 acceptor site. Conclusion We propose an evolutionary scenario for occult HBV infection, in which 2986-202 splicing generates intracellular virus particles devoid of surface protein, which subsequently accumulates mutations due to relaxation of coding constraints. Such viruses are deficient of autonomous propagation and cannot leave the host cell until it is lysed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Formijn J van Hemert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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