Prevalence of mutations in core promoter/precore region in Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
We examined the frequency and significance of mutations in the core promoter and precore region in 103 Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. HBV DNAs from the patients' sera were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and were directly sequenced. A double mutation (T1762 A1764) in the core promoter was frequently observed in the patients regardless of HBeAg status except for asymptomatic carriers with HBeAg. Furthermore, a mutation at nucleotide 1753 from T to C or G was frequently found in anti-HBe positive patients and was often accompanied by the double mutation. The A1896 mutation was found in only about one fourth of the patients with anti-HBe. These data suggest that the patients with chronic liver diseases frequently had a double mutation regardless of HBeAg status and a mutation at nucleotide 1753 might be associated with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
Nagasaka
A
A
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Hige
S
S
Marutani
M
M
Tsunematsu
I
I
Saito
M
M
Yamamoto
Y
Y
Konishi
S
S
Asaka
M
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D002353:Carrier State / Q000208:ethnology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005787:Gene Frequency / Q000235:genetics*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000235:genetics; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D014758:Viral Core Proteins