title: Analysis of the hepatitis C virus genome in patients with anti-LKM-1 autoantibodies.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus genotypes have been characterized in 22 patients with anti-LKM-1 positive chronic hepatitis C. Following the Simmonds classification, 77% of patients were infected by hepatitis C virus genotype 1, 18% by genotype 2 and 5% by genotype 3, thus excluding the association of the autoimmune reaction with a particular viral type. Prevalences of genotype 1 and 2 were significantly different from those obtained in 79 patients with chronic hepatitis C who were negative for anti-LKM-1, as these were more rarely infected by genotype 1 and more frequently by genotype 2. Clinical findings of anti-LKM-1 positive patients were similar in all three groups. Sequence analysis of the amplified 5'UTR provided identification of peculiar and identical nucleotide substitutions in two out of four patients with genotype 2. The analysis of the secondary structure of this region showed that the observed nucleotide mutations increased the stability of the stem formed in this position.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Medica 2, University of Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gerotto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pontisso
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giostra
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Francesconi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Muratori
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ballardini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tisminetzky
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Baralle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D001706:Biopsy; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D004279:DNA, Viral; C060729:anti-liver kidney microsome antibody