title: Analysis of complement-bound hepatitis B virus complexes by an immuno-capture polymerase chain reaction method.
abstract: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) can be present in the circulating blood either as a free virus or as a virion-immunoglobulin (Ig) complex with or without complement. However, information regarding the complement-bound HBV circulating immune complexes (CIC) in HBV-infected patients is currently not available. In the present study, we have combined immuno-capture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and developed a quick method of high specificity for the detection of complement-bound HBV CIC. We found that the frequency of HBV-factor B was associated with clinical types of hepatitis B (HB) but not with that of HBV-C1q. Moreover, increased frequency at P < 0.05 were found for HBV/C1q-CIC in the group with normal total bilirubin (TBIL) and for HBV/factor B-CIC in the group with positive hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). These findings suggest that the immuno-capture PCR (iPCR) for the detection of HBV-bound CIC is a valuable method for analysis of the composition of the immune complexes and for the understanding of host immune response and immune pathogenesis in HBV-infected individuals. In summary, iPCR is a valuable method for analysis of the composition of the immune complexes, which may provide new and valuable insights into HBV pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Education Ministry for Cell Biology and Tumor Cell Engineering, Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, PR China.
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Q Z
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.forename: X X
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Peng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D015922:Complement C1q / Q000378:metabolism; D011415:Complement Factor B / Q000378:metabolism; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015922:Complement C1q; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D011415:Complement Factor B