title: Differences in hypervariable region 1 quasispecies between immune complexed and non-immune complexed hepatitis C virus particles.
abstract: Antibody to the hypervariable region 1 of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is thought to have neutralizing activity. The complexity of hypervariable region 1 quasispecies was compared between immune complexed and non-immune complexed HCV particles. Immune complexes and non-immune complexes, including intact HCV virions, were separated by differential flotation centrifugation and immunoprecipitation, and immune complexes were observed in 9 of 11 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Considerable differences in both hypervariable region 1 quasispecies and predominant clones were demonstrated between immune complexes and non-immune complexes in 4 patients and not in 5 patients. These results suggest that the specificity of antibody to hypervariable region 1 is related to the formation of immune complexes and that escape mutants with highly different quasispecies are resistant to neutralization by antibody to hypervariable region 1.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Yamaguchi University, School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korenaga
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hino
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000918:Antibody Specificity / Q000276:immunology; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region