title: The interferon-alpha 2b gene in Japanese patients with chronic viral hepatitis who developed antibodies after treatment with recombinant interferon-alpha 2a.
abstract: DNA was extracted from leucocytes of 23 Japanese patients with chronic viral hepatitis who received treatment with recombinant interferon-alpha 2a (IFN-alpha 2a) and nine healthy controls, as well as eight human cell lines of Caucasian or African origin. A part of the gene encoding IFN-alpha 2 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and the sequence of nucleotides 1-231 was determined. Interferon-alpha 2a, -alpha 2b and -alpha 2c genes were tested for in five clones each from a patient or control, or a cell line, based on adenine or guanine at nucleotide positions 68 and 101. The IFN-alpha 2b gene was detected in all 160 clones from 23 Japanese patients and nine controls, but the IFN-alpha 2a or -alpha 2c gene was not found in any. Of five cell lines derived from Caucasians, four exhibited only the IFN-alpha 2b gene, while the remaining one exhibited both IFN-alpha 2a and -alpha 2b genes. Of three cell lines derived from Africans, one each showed only the IFN-alpha 2b or -alpha 2c gene, and the remaining one both IFN-alpha 2b and -alpha 2c genes. The 23 patients with the IFN-alpha 2b gene and chronic viral hepatitis included 10 who developed antibodies against IFN after treatment with recombinant IFN-alpha 2a. These results indicated a distinct geographical distribution of the three IFN-alpha 2 genes, and suggested the use of a recombinant IFN-alpha 2 preparation in agreement with the IFN-alpha 2 gene possessed by the recipient to avoid antibody responses.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hosoi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004247:DNA