Analysis of the core region of HCV genome isolated from patients with chronic hepatitis C during intervals of normal ALT concentration.
We determined the core region nucleotide and amino acid sequences in specimens from two patients with chronic hepatitis C during intervals of normal and elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentrations. When the ALT concentrations remained normal, the serum HCR-RNA concentration exceeded that before therapy and most of the clones that could be sequenced had a deletion or an amber mutation. The clones isolated from a HLA B44-positive patient had a mutation at amino acid 91. These results suggest that expression of the wild-type HCV core region genome may be associated with liver cell damage.
Arataki
K
K
First Department of Internal Medicine, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Japan.
Nakanishi
T
T
Ohbatake
T
T
Sanada
E
E
Nakayama
J
J
Katayama
K
K
Sasaki
F
F
Moriya
T
T
Kajiyama
G
G
D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D007372:Interferons; D000410:Alanine Transaminase