Identification of humoral antigenic determinants in the hepatitis C virus NS3 protein.
Immunoblot analysis on serum samples from 90 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection revealed four putative immunogenic regions within the NS3 protein of the virus: E (around aa 1250/ 1251), A (within aa 1250-1334), A/B (around aa 1323 and 1334), and B/C (around aa 1407 and 1412). Among them, region E was most immunodominant, and region A was recognized much less frequently by patients with cirrhosis than by those with chronic hepatitis (10% vs. 46%, chi 2 = 12.05, P < .01). The results suggest that region A might be a potential prognostic marker to differentiate chronic hepatitis from cirrhosis.
Hwang
L H
LH
Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, ROC.
Yang
P M
PM
Lai
M Y
MY
Chiang
B L
BL
Kao
J H
JH
Wang
J T
JT
Lee
S Y
SY
Chian
H M
HM
Chi
W K
WK
Chu
Y D
YD
Chen
P J
PJ
Chen
D S
DS
D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D000939:Epitopes / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D010957:Plasmids / Q000276:immunology; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases
D000939:Epitopes; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C084422:NS3 protein, hepatitis C virus; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases