title: Precore and core promoter mutations at the time of HBeAg seroclearance in Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of precore and core promoter (CP) mutations before, at and after HBeAg seroclearance in Chinese patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Precore and CP mutations were determined in 93 patients with chronic hepatitis B 12-24 months before, at and 12 months after the time of HBeAg seroclearance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant changes were found in the prevalence of precore or CP mutations before, at and after HBeAg seroclearance. Seven patients (7.8%) had HBeAg seroreversion within 1 year of HBeAg seroclearance. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of precore and CP mutations between patients with and without HBeAg seroreversion. 68.3% and 48.7% of patients harbored the same precore and CP genotypes throughout. 32.0% patients with precore mutations and 8.9% patients with CP mutations before HBeAg seroclearance had reversion to wild type within 1 year of HBeAg seroclearance. Patients with genotype C patients had a higher prevalence of CP mutations before HBeAg seroclearance compared with patients with genotype B (82.4% vs. 44%, P=0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Precore and CP mutations existed in a substantial proportion of Chinese patients before HBeAg seroclearance. The replication of precore and, to a lesser extent, CP mutants could be suppressed around the time of HBeAg seroclearance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, PR China.
authors.forename: He-Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ka-Ho Wong
authors.forename: Joke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Doutreloigne
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sablon
authors.forename: Ching-Lung
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Man-Fung
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Yuen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006513:Hepatitis B e Antigens; D011498:Protein Precursors