Dynamic behavior of hepatitis C virus quasispecies in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation.
We have studied the distribution of viral sequences from the 5' noncoding region and from a fragment of the E2/NS2 region of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome in samples obtained before and after liver transplantation in two patients with HCV cirrhosis. The population of viral sequences in both regions were established by sequencing cloned PCR products. In both cases, the complexity of the viral quasispecies decreased after transplantation, although the consensus nucleotide and amino acid sequences remained unchanged. It is suggested that both positive and negative selection and random sampling events contribute substantially in shaping the genetic composition of HCV quasispecies and that recurrence of HCV infection may occur under equilibrium conditions.
Martell
M
M
Department of Medicine, Hospital General Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.
Esteban
J I
JI
Quer
J
J
Vargas
V
V
Esteban
R
R
Guardia
J
J
Gómez
J
J
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000382:microbiology; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins