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Recognition of the N‐terminal, C‐terminal, and interior portions of HBx by Sera from patients with hepatitis B
Author(s) -
Kay Alan,
de Dinechin Stéphane Dupont,
VitvitskiTrépo Ludmila,
Mandart Elisabeth,
Shamoon BlancheMarie,
Galibert Francis
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.1890330404
Subject(s) - hbx , asymptomatic , virology , open reading frame , asymptomatic carrier , cirrhosis , hepatitis b virus , hepatitis b , cross reactivity , chronic hepatitis , biology , medicine , gene , virus , antigen , immunology , genetics , peptide sequence , cross reactions
We have cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli three different parts of the HBx open reading frame, the N‐ and C‐termini and the interior or central portion, using two vector systems. The sera of 43 hepatitis B virus patients representing three clinical categories–asymptomatic carriers, chronic active hepatitis, and hepatitis B patients with cirrhosis–known to be anti‐HBx positive, were tested for reactivity against these constructs by Western blotting. The great majority of sera, regardless of the clinical categories, clearly recognise all three parts of HBx, strongly suggesting that the normal mechanism of biosynthesis of the HBx gene product is a straightforward translation of the open reading frame starting from the first ATG. However, asymptomatic carriers show a marked, often almost exclusive, preference for recognition of the central portion of HBx, while patients with chronic hepatitis and patients with cirrhosis generally recognise all three parts of HBx to a similar extent.