title: Early evolution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) quasispecies after liver transplant for HCV-related disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  End-stage liver disease as a result of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the main indication for liver transplant (LT), but allografts are systematically infected with HCV soon after transplant. Viral quasispecies are poorly described during the early posttransplant period.
  
  
  METHODS
  For 17 patients who received an LT for HCV disease, plasma viral quasispecies evolution was determined by sequence analysis of hypervariable region 1 of the E2 envelope gene before transplant (BT), after 7 days (D7), and after 1 month (M1). T helper (Th)1/Th2 cytokine levels were determined concomitantly.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HCV quasispecies showed a significant decrease in amino acid diversity at D7 and M1, compared with BT (P<.05). A correlation was observed between low plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels at D7 and decreased quasispecies amino acid complexity at the same date. Nucleic acid diversity was lower for genotype 1 than for genotype 3 infection (P<.05). The complexity and diversity of amino acids were lower in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) BT than in those without HCC (P<.05). Conserved amino acid residues within quasispecies were shared by the whole cohort before and after LT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Viral structural and/or host immunological features could favor the emergence of fitter HCV strains after LT.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Virologie, Hopital Civil, Strasbourg, France. Evelyne.Schvoerer@chru-strasbourg.fr
authors.forename: Evelyne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schvoerer
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Soulier
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Royer
authors.forename: Anne-Catherine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Renaudin
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thumann
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fafi-Kremer
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brignon
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doridot
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pinson
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ellero
authors.forename: Marie-Lorraine
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Woehl-Jaegle
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zachary
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baumert
authors.forename: Francoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stoll-Keller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C091015:glycoprotein E2, Hepatitis C virus