Analysis of serum pre-S antigens in chronic hepatitis B virus infection in relation to the expression pattern of hepatitis B virus DNA in the liver.
Pre-S antigens have been analyzed in the serum of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection according to the expression pattern of HBV DNA in the liver. Pre-S1 and pre-S2 have been identified (1) in all viremic cases with free replicative forms of viral DNA irrespective of the simultaneous detection of integrated sequences; (2) in 2 out of 3 patients with only integrated HBV DNA, and (3) in 19 patients who lacked viral DNA sequences detectable in the host genome. The amounts of hepatitis B surface and pre-S antigens were significantly higher in high-viremic versus low-viremic patients and correlated with the hepatocellular expression of HBV DNA. Conversely, the pre-S-to-hepatitis B surface antigen ratios were lower in the presence of viral DNA sequences in the liver. In summary, detection and level of pre-S antigens are closely related to the hepatocellular expression of viral DNA and seem to reflect reliably different stages of the virus life cycle during the course of HBV infection.
del Mar Escudero
M
M
Department of Gastroenterology, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain.
Quiroga
J A
JA
Bartolomé
F J
FJ
Carreño
V
V
D000328:Adult; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000382:microbiology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D014766:Viremia / Q000382:microbiology
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D011498:Protein Precursors; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C050806:presurface protein 1, hepatitis B surface antigen; C050807:presurface protein 2, hepatitis B surface antigen