Open AccessA mutation specific polymerase chain reaction for detecting hepatitis B virus genome mutations at nt551
Author(s) -
Chunling Ma
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v9.i3.509
Subject(s) - hbsag , hepatitis b virus , virology , polymerase chain reaction , hepatitis b virus dna polymerase , biology , primer (cosmetics) , mutation , microbiology and biotechnology , antigenicity , hepatitis b , polymerase , virus , gene , antigen , genetics , chemistry , organic chemistry
The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is considered to be one of the best markers for the diagnosis of acute and chronic HBV infection. But in some patients, this antigen cannot be detected by routine serological assays despite the presence of virus. One of the most important explanations for the lack of detectable HBsAg is that mutations which occur within the "a" determinant of HBV S gene can alter expression of HBsAg and lead to changes of antigenicity and immunogenicity of HBsAg accordingly. As a result, these mutants cannot be detected by diagnosis assays. Thus, it is essential to find out specific and sensitive methods to test the new mutants and further investigate their distribution. This study is to establish a method to investigate the distribution of the HBsAg mutant at nt551.