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Comparison of the hypervariable region of hepatitis C virus genomes in plasma and liver
Author(s) -
Sakamoto Naoya,
Enomoto Nobuyuki,
Kurosaki Masayuki,
Asahina Yasuhiro,
Maekawa Shinya,
Koizumi Kazuhiko,
Sakuma Ikuo,
Murakami Takeshi,
Marumo Fumiaki,
Sato Chifumi
Publication year - 1995
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.1890460103
Subject(s) - hypervariable region , viral quasispecies , biology , polymerase chain reaction , virology , polymerase , virus , hepatitis c virus , population , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , dna , gene , medicine , environmental health
Nucleotide sequences of the hypervariable region of hepatitis C virus genomes obtained from plasma change rapidly during the course of in fection and are believed to play a part in immunological escape and consequently in the development of persistent infection. It is not known, however, whether these changes also occur in the liver. To clarify this aspect, RNA was extracted from the plasma and liver tissue of eight patients with chronic hepatitis C. After cDNA synthesis, DNA fragments that included the hypervariable region were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. Consensus nucleotide sequences were determined directly from the polymerase chain reaction products by the dideoxy chain termination method. The diversity of the hypervariable region was analyzed further by the polymerase chain reaction‐single strand conformation polymorphism analysis. Consensus nucleotide sequences of the hypervariable region were identical between the plasma and the liver in each patient. The polymerase chain reaction‐single strand conformation polymorphism analysis showed multiple DNA bands that represented different hypervariable region sequences. Comparison of the single strand conformation polymorphism patterns revealed that the number, the mobility, and the density of bands were the same between the plasma and the liver. It is concluded that the population and the diversity of hepatitis C virus quasispecies as detected by the hypervariable region sequence are the same between the plasma and the liver despite rapid mutations, indicating that rapid changes in the population of hepatitis C virus quasispecies also occur in the liver. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.