[Expression of pre-S1 antigen and pre-S1 antibody in sera obtained from HBV infected patients].
We investigated the expression of Pre-S1 antigen and Pre-S1 antibody using a synthetic peptide and the monoclonal antibody against it. Four patients with acute hepatitis B and 87 chronic HBsAg carriers were included in this study. There was a significant correlation between Pre-S1 antigen titers and HBsAg titers. Pre-S1 antigen showed higher titers in patients with active viral replication, positive for HBeAg, HBV-DNA or HBV-related DNA polymerase. The ratio of Pre-S1 antigen titers to HBsAg titers, however, had no significant relationship with those replicative markers. It was suggested that Pre-S1 antigen was expressed with an intimate relation to the expression of HBsAg and was not so useful as a new replicative marker. Pre-S1Ag titers/HBsAg titers tended to be high in patients with chronic active hepatitis and high serum GPT levels. This may be due to the release of overproduced intracellular Pre-S1 antigen. Pre-S1 antibody was detected only in few cases of chronic HBsAg carriers. This result shows that the immune tolerance to Pre-S1 region may play a role in the persistence of HBV infection.
Yuki
N
N
Hayashi
N
N
Katayama
K
K
Kasahara
A
A
Ueda
K
K
Takehara
T
T
Mita
E
E
Fusamoto
H
H
Sato
N
N
Kishida
T
T
D002353:Carrier State / Q000276:immunology; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D011498:Protein Precursors; C050806:presurface protein 1, hepatitis B surface antigen