title: Genotypes B and C hepatocellular carcinoma-associated hepatitis B virus pre-S mutants: their detection among F1b and A2 - but not F4 - isolates from Argentina.
abstract: Prevalence rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-associated hepatitis B virus (HBV) pre-S mutants among most genotypes are still lacking. In this study, viral (sub)genotypes of 70 Argentine nucleotide sequences (33 newly obtained) were determined by phylogenetic analysis, and the presence of such mutants was assessed in the American continent for the first time. Nucleotide substitutions of the pre-S2 start codon were observed in 10% of the HBV/A2 sequences. Ten per cent of the HBV/A2 and 12.5% of the HBV/F1b - but none of HBV/F4 - exhibited a deletion in the pre-S1/pre-S2 region. The contribution of these variants to liver cirrhosis (LC) and/or HCC development among HBV/F and HBV/A isolates deserves further prospective clinical studies.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiología y Parasitología Médica, Universidad de Buenos Aires-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trinks
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frías
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frider
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alessio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pozzati
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Daleoso
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: León
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Batalla
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ameigeiras
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Oubiña
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001118:Argentina; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D011498:Protein Precursors; C050806:presurface protein 1, hepatitis B surface antigen