title: Nucleotide sequence of hepatitis B virus isolated from subjects without serum anti-hepatitis B core antibody.
abstract: The nucleotide sequences of the precore/core and X open reading frames (ORFs) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) were studied in four subjects who were serologically negative for anti-hepatitis B core antibody. These subjects were positive for serum hepatitis B surface antigen and were considered to be asymptomatic HBV carriers. Sequencing of the precore/core ORF revealed precore wild type and 3 to 8 nucleotide substitutions (replacing 0 to 2 amino acids) in the core region compared with the sequence of subtype adr. These substitutions were not considered to have changed the epitope of the core antigen, resulting in the absence of anti-HBc as determined by a conventional diagnostic kit. The X ORF showed 1 to 5 nucleotide substitutions (replacing 1 to 3 amino acids) and the structure of the X protein and the core promoter/enhancer II complex appeared to be conserved. These findings strongly suggest that the absence of serum anti-HBc is not due to mutation of the HBV DNA but to an aberrant immune reaction of the host to HBV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hokkaido Kin-ikyo Chuo Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gotoh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mima
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shikata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshizawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irie
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mizui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D015534:Trans-Activators; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C057628:hepatitis B virus X protein