title: Hepatitis delta virus facilitates the selection of hepatitis B virus mutants in vivo and functionally impacts on their replicative capacity in vitro.
abstract: To identify molecular interactions between hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV), HBV sequences were analysed in HBV/HDV-infected patients. Characteristic amino acid substitutions were found in cytosolic domains of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), in contrast to HBV-mono-infected controls. The functional impact of HDV on the replication of wild-type and mutant HBV was assessed in vitro. HDV co-transfection significantly reduced the replication of HBV strains containing precore or basal core promoter mutations, and HBV polymerase or surface antigen mutants affected HDV replication in vitro. Conclusively, our study revealed distinct HBsAg mutational patterns in HBV/HDV-infected patients and novel functional interactions between HBV and HDV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine III, RWTH-University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shirvani-Dastgerdi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Belgium; Blood Transfusion Research Centre, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Pourkarim
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine III, RWTH-University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Herbers
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amini-Bavil-Olyaee
authors.affiliation: Medical Care Centre, Dr Stein and Colleagues, Mönchengladbach, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yagmur
authors.affiliation: Baqiyatallah Research Centre for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Alavian
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine III, RWTH-University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trautwein
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine III, RWTH-University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: frank.tacke@gmx.net.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tacke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D060085:Coinfection / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000502:physiology*; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*; D003698:Hepatitis Delta Virus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D056265:Microbial Interactions; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D014774:Virulence; D014779:Virus Replication; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens
keywords: Basal core promoter; HBsAg; hepatitis B virus; hepatitis delta virus; precore