title: Significance and relevance of serum preS1 antigen detection in wild-type and variant hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections.
abstract: These studies assessed whether the serum expression of preS1 antigen could be a useful HBV marker for monitoring the progress of antiviral therapy in the treatment of chronic active hepatitis B (CAH-B) virus infections. Our findings indicate that: 1) the rearrangements we observed in the preS region of mutated HBV DNA molecules during chronic infection did not effect the preS1 sequence (21-47) critical for HBV infectivity; 2) the persistence or even the rebound of preS1 antigen expression during follow-up in responders to antiviral therapy may indicate virus persistence, suggesting the possibility of relapse through wild-type HBV or the emergence of HBV variants following the immunoelimination phase.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U 131, Clamart, France.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Capel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gerken
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dubanchet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bréchot
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trépo
mesh_terms: D002353:Carrier State; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D009154:Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D011498:Protein Precursors; C050806:presurface protein 1, hepatitis B surface antigen