Production of hepatitis B defective particles is dependent on liver status.
Defective hepatitis B virus (dHBV) generated from spliced RNA is detected in the sera of HBV-chronic carriers. Our study was designed to determine whether the proportion of dHBV changed during the course of infection, and to investigate whether dHBV might interfere with HBV replication. To achieve this, HBV wild-type and dHBV levels were determined by Q-PCR in sera from 56 untreated chronic patients and 23 acute patients, in sequential samples from 4 treated-patients and from liver-humanized mice after HBV infection. The proportion of dHBV was higher in patients with severe compared to null/moderate liver disease or with acute infection. Follow-up showed that the proportion of dHBV increased during disease progression. By contrast, a low and stable proportion of dHBV was observed in the humanized-mouse model of HBV infection. Our results highlight a regulation of the proportion of dHBV during liver disease progression that is independent of interference with viral replication.
Inserm U845, Pathogenèse des Hépatites Virales B et Immunothérapie, 156 Rue de Vaugirard, 75015 Paris, France.
Francois
F
Redelsperger
Bouchra
B
Lekbaby
Yassmina
Y
Mandouri
Eric
E
Giang
Marion
M
Duriez
Nathalie
N
Desire
Anne-Marie
AM
Roque Afonso
Segolene
S
Brichler
Pascal
P
Dubreuil
Anca
A
Dobrin
Gabriel
G
Perlemuter
Sophie
S
Prevot
Nathalie
N
Bacon
Jean Didier
JD
Grange
Fadila
F
Zatla
Catherine
C
Le Pendeven
Stanislas
S
Pol
Helene
H
Strick-Marchand
James
J
Di Santo
Dina
D
Kremsdorf
Patrick
P
Soussan
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D003673:Defective Viruses / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D008875:Middle Aged; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D044967:Serum / Q000821:virology; D019562:Viral Load; D014779:Virus Replication