title: Early dynamics of hepatitis B virus in chimeric mice carrying human hepatocytes monoinfected or coinfected with genotype G.
abstract: Of the 8 genotypes of HBV (genotypes A-H), genotype G is unique in that it has an insertion in the core gene and two stop codons in the precore region preventing the synthesis of hepatitis B e antigen. Most individuals with genotype G are coinfected with other genotypes, typically genotype A. Mice with severe combined immunodeficiency disease carrying human hepatocytes were infected with HBV particles propagated in Huh7 cells in culture. Mice monoinfected with genotype G did not raise detectable HBV DNA in serum, although products of the core gene emerged 4 to 8 weeks after inoculation. When they were superinfected with genotype A at week 10, however, HBV DNA of genotype A developed, which was replaced almost completely by that of genotype G within 10 weeks. Such a rapid takeover was also observed in mice initially infected with genotype A or C and superinfected with genotype G. Similar viral dynamics occurred in mice simultaneously coinfected with genotypes G and A. Takeover was markedly enhanced in mice inoculated with a serum passage containing genotype G with a trace of genotype A. Coinfection of mice with genotypes G and A induced abundant cellular steatosis along with increased fibrosis in the liver, which was not detected in mice monoinfected with genotype A or G.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genotype G can monoinfect chimeric mice at very low levels, and its replication increases maredly when coinfected with other genotypes. Coinfection with genotype G could enhance fibrosis under immunocompromised states.
authors: Department of Clinical Molecular Informative Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
authors: Masaya
authors: M
authors: Sugiyama
authors: Yasuhito
authors: Y
authors: Tanaka
authors: Tomoyuki
authors: T
authors: Sakamoto
authors: Isao
authors: I
authors: Maruyama
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Shimada
authors: Satoru
authors: S
authors: Takahashi
authors: Tomoyuki
authors: T
authors: Shirai
authors: Hideaki
authors: H
authors: Kato
authors: Masataka
authors: M
authors: Nagao
authors: Yuzo
authors: Y
authors: Miyakawa
authors: Masashi
authors: M
authors: Mizokami
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000637:transplantation / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D010957:Plasmids; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015163:Superinfection / Q000821:virology*; D014162:Transfection; D018183:Transplantation Chimera; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins