乙肝病毒核心抗原基因在大肠杆菌中的表达

根据乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)DNA全基因组克隆pHBV-NC的酶切图谱,分别用限制性内切酶HincⅡ-AvaⅠ和BgLⅡ剪切pHBV—NC_1-DNA,获得了两种不同长度HBV核心抗原基因片段:HBcAgⅠ片段和HBcAgⅡ片段。用带有P_R启动子的质粒pCQV2和带有Lac启动子的质粒pUR222与HBcAgⅠ段和HBcAgⅡ片段连接,分别转化到大肠杆菌中,获得了三种不同的表达菌株,命名为pHBcAgⅠ、pHBcAgⅡ和pLcAgⅡ,并对其核心抗原的表达量做了比较。     

改变乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原基因3′端序列对其在原核细胞中表达的影响

乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)的核心抗原基因(C基因)编码185个氨基酸残基,在原核细胞或痘苗病毒系统中能表达并装配成27nm大小的核心抗原(HBcAg)多聚体颗粒。已证实HBV C基因3′端编码近40个氨基酸的碱基序列,不是表达形成HBcAg颗粒所必需的。用外源基因替换这部分序列,已表达出表面带有外源基因产物的杂合颗粒,它具有很好的免疫原性,成为新型的基因工程多决定簇颗粒载体疫苗。但我们的实验中发现,用另外的外源基因替换3′端序列能显著影响HBV C基因在大肠杆菌中的表达,不同组成的外源基因其影响程度有所不同。     

在大肠杆菌中反义RNA抑制乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原的表达

将乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原(HBcAg)基因的DNA序列分别按正、反方向置tac启动子的控制下,并克隆进入同一个质粒中,转化大肠杆菌JM103后,观察到HBcAg和HBeAg的合成均明显低于仅含有HBcAg基因的细菌,最大抑制率可达70％～80％,分子杂交可见反义RNA存在。     

重组人乙型肝炎病毒E抗原(HBeAg)的基因扩增与表达

本文从两例临床确诊为乙型肝炎患者的2mg肝穿刺标本中利用基因扩增方法,设计扩增出缺失羧基端34个氨基酸的乙型肝炎病毒C抗原(HBcAg)基因的0.45kb基因片段,将此片段克隆入表达载体,导入大肠杆菌中表达,结果获得每毫升培养液含有100万酶联反应单位的HBgAg,也存在1万酶联反应单位的HBcAg。SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳显示,其表达产物占菌体总蛋白的30～37％,分子量为155kD。HBeAg基因结构及表达形式有待进一步研究和探讨。     

外分泌型的乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原核酸疫苗的构建与体外表达

目的:构建含有组织型纤溶酶原激活剂(tPA)信号肽的乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原(HBcAg)核酸疫苗。方法将HBcAg基因用PCR方法扩增并分别引入相应的限制性内切酶酶切位点,然后克隆入pJW4303载体中获得相应的核酸疫苗,经筛选鉴定后,用上述核酸疫苗与野生型HBcAg核酸疫苗及空载体质粒pJW4303分别用脂质体瞬时转染293T细胞,应用蛋白印迹法检测核心抗原的表达。结果成功构建以pJW4303为载体的含tPA信号肽的HBcAg核酸疫苗,体外表达证实含tPA信号肽的HBcAg在293T细胞胞内和胞外均能表达,含tPA信号肽的HBcAg核酸疫苗的核心抗原表达水平较高。结论以pJW4303为载体的含tPA信号肽的HBcAg核酸疫苗能够将细胞内的HBcAg分泌到细胞外,为进一步研究其免疫原性打下了基础。     

通过乙型肝炎病毒核心基因5''''端的修饰使核心抗原在大肠杆菌中高效表达

为了使乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原(HBcAg)在大肠杆菌中获得高效表达,本文首次采用一种新方法对核心基因前区进行改造与修饰,即用限制性内切酶Taq I从核心基因内部5′端切开,去除核心基因起始信号ATG及ATG 5′端上游的全部前核心区(Precore),再化学合成一段既包含核心基因起始信号又具有多种功能的DNA片段。将两者拼接重组到表达载体pUC9上,转化受体菌,成功地获得高效表达HBcAg的菌株。用ELISA法检测,表达滴度为1:80000。表达产量占菌体总蛋白的16％。其菌体裂解液经免疫电镜观察,可见到成堆聚集的典型HBcAg颗粒。抗原单体分子量约为22000道尔顿,双体为44000。与目前国内外所普遍采用的方法比较,本文的方法有许多明显的优点,可用于其它基因改造。     

利用基因工程表达核心抗原转化的E抗原制备抗HBeAg单克隆抗体

采用两种变性剂将大肠杆菌基因工程高效表达的乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原(HBcAg)转化成为E抗原(HBeAg),其ELISA滴度达1:1000以上,而核心抗原滴度为零。用此抗原免疫小鼠,一次融合即获十四株抗乙型肝炎病毒E抗原的单克隆抗体。细胞培养上清抗体滴度为1:10-1:1000以上,腹水滴度为1:1000-1:100,000以上。十三株IgG、一株IgM。其中十株为抗HBeAg(b)决定簇,四株抗(a)决定簇。它们的敏感性及特异性与日本用血清E抗原制备的单克隆抗体效果完全一致。这是国内外首次应用基因工程表达核心抗原转化E抗原成功 地建立分泌抗HBeAg单克隆抗体杂交瘤细胞株。     

乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原(HBcAg)高表达质粒的构建

我们利用了外切酶剪切,人工接头平端连接等DNA重组技术将HBcAg基因片段插入乳糖启动子下游的β-半乳糖苷酶结构基因中,获得了能高效表达HBcAg的重组质粒。ELISA方法检测表明,转化的大肠杆菌每毫升培养物含一万酶联免疫反应单位。     

乙肝病毒核心抗原作为载体用于病毒样颗粒疫苗研究的主要进展

乙肝病毒核心抗原(Hepatitis B virus core antigen,HBcAg)是乙肝病毒的核壳结构蛋白,由183～185个氨基酸组成,大小约21～23kD。HBcAg由于其能自我组装成病毒样颗粒(Virus-like particle,VLP)、高表达、易纯化以及强免疫原性等特点,使其成为一个高效安全且应用广泛的VLP载体,可用于各种病原的疫苗研发。发展至今已有数十种病毒、细菌以及寄生虫的相关基因的抗原表位成功表达在HBcAg VLP颗粒上,成为新型疫苗研发的重要平台。     

乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原基因在大肠杆菌中的表达

乙肝病毒核心抗原(HBcAg)用于乙型肝炎的诊断是十分必需的,但从尸肝中提取可用于诊断的HBcAg十分困难。为了获得大量廉价的HBcAg用于临床诊断和流行病学检测,我们将HBcAg基因进行了重组,并在原核细胞中得到满意表达。 首先将带有完正ayw亚型乙型肝炎病毒DNA的pHBV-1质粒DNA(梁伟才惠赠,7.5kb)切下1504bp的BamHI片段,后者含有完整的HBcAg基因。将它插入pUR222的Bam     

Negative HBcAg in immunohistochemistry assay of liver biopsy is a predictive factor for the treatment of patients with nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy

The hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) is an important target for antiviral response in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. However, the correlation between HBcAg in the hepatocyte nucleus and nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) therapeutic response is unclear. We sought to evaluate the role of HBcAg by analysing liver biopsies for viral response in NA‐naïve hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive (+) CHB patients via immunohistochemistry (IHC). A total of 48 HBcAg‐negative (?) patients and 48 HBcAg (+) patients with matching baseline characteristics were retrospectively analysed for up to 288 weeks. Virological response (VR) rates of patients in the HBcAg (?) group were significantly higher at week 48 and 96 than the HBcAg (+) group (77.1% versus 45.8% at week 48, respectively, P = 0.002 and 95.3% versus 83.3% at week 96, respectively, P = 0.045). The serological negative conversion rate of HBeAg was significantly higher in the HBcAg (?) than in the HBcAg (+) group from week 96 to 288 (35.4 % versus 14.6% at week 96, respectively, P = 0.018; 60.4% versus 14.6%, respectively, P < 0.001 at week 144; 72.9% versus 35.4%, respectively, P < 0.001 at week 288). The cumulative frequencies of VR and lack of HBeAg were higher in the HBcAg (?) group (both P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that HBcAg (?) was the predictor for the lack of HBeAg (OR 4.482, 95% CI: 1.58–12.68). In summary, the absence of HBcAg in the hepatocyte nucleus could be an independent predictor for HBeAg seroconversion rates during NA‐naïve treatment in HBeAg (+) CHB patients.     

含不同长度前C序列的乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原基因在重组痘苗病毒中的表达

核酸序列分析表明,乙型肝炎(乙肝)病毒核心抗原基因(C基因)编码区内存在两个ATG。目前认为第二个ATG为乙肝病毒C抗原的起始密码子,两个ATG之间的序列称为前C序列,共87bp。Uy、Rutter、Roossinck及景新等的研究表明,含前C序列时,C基因在大肠杆菌中的表达是形成具有HBeAg活性的P25~e膜蛋白,在哺乳动物细胞中的表达则是形成分泌性的HBeAg;不含前C序列时,在大肠杆菌和哺乳动物细胞中均形成P21~e     

乙型肝炎病毒e抗原的生物学功能及血清学转换的免疫学基础

目前在临床乙型肝炎的治疗中,乙型肝炎病毒e抗原(HBeAg)消失及其抗体的出现已成为重要的疗效指标.本文回顾了HBeAg的发现及其生物学和医学意义,对HBeAg与乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原(HBcAg)的免疫原性进行了比较,阐述了HBeAg血清学转换的免疫学基础,并对出现HBeAg血清学转换的意义作了分析.     

Priming Th1 immunity to viral core particles is facilitated by trace amounts of RNA bound to its arginine-rich domain

Particulate hepatitis B core Ag (C protein) (HBcAg) and soluble hepatitis B precore Ag (E protein) (HBeAg) of the hepatitis B virus share >70% of their amino acid sequence and most T and B cell-defined epitopes. When injected at low doses into mice, HBcAg particles prime Th1 immunity while HBeAg protein primes Th2 immunity. HBcAg contains 5-20 ng RNA/microg protein while nucleotide binding to HBeAg is not detectable. Deletion of the C-terminal arginine-rich domain of HBcAg generates HBcAg-144 or HBcAg-149 particles (in which >98% of RNA binding is lost) that prime Th2-biased immunity. HBcAg particles, but not truncated HBcAg-144 or -149 particles stimulate IL-12 p70 release by dendritic cells and IFN-gamma release by nonimmune spleen cells. The injection of HBeAg protein or HBcAg-149 particles into mice primes Th1 immunity only when high doses of RNA (i.e., 20-100 microg/mouse) are codelivered with the Ag. Particle-incorporated RNA has thus a 1000-fold higher potency as a Th1-inducing adjuvant than free RNA mixed to a protein Ag. Disrupting the particulate structure of HBcAg releases RNA and abolishes its Th1 immunity inducing potency. Using DNA vaccines delivered intradermally with the gene gun, inoculation of 1 microg HBcAg-encoding pCI/C plasmid DNA primes Th1 immunity while inoculation of 1 microg HBeAg-encoding pCI/E plasmid DNA or HBcAg-149-encoding pCI/C-149 plasmid DNA primes Th2 immunity. Expression data show eukaryotic RNA associated with HBcAg, but not HBeAg, expressed by the DNA vaccine. Hence, codelivery of an efficient, intrinsic adjuvant (i.e., nanogram amounts of prokaryotic or eukaryotic RNA bound to arginine-rich sequences) by HBcAg nucleocapsids facilitates priming of anti-viral Th1 immunity.     

大肠杆菌合成的乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原(HBcAg)转化为e抗原(HBeAg)的探索

本文以带有HBcAg基因重组质粒的大肠杆菌转化株Ecoli MM206所合成的HBcAg进行HBcAg转化为HBeAg的探索研究。菌经超声破碎获得的菌裂解液对生理盐水透析两天后,酶联检测发现抗原性部分转化为HBeAg。将菌裂解液或HBcAg精制品用2-巯基乙醇处理,可使抗原性发生进一步转化。但是分子筛层析证明抗原蛋白分子大小没有明显变化。这种制品有可能作为诊断试剂用以检测抗-HBe,而且实验结果表明HBeAg是由HBeAg衍变来的。为要提高HBeAg的稳定性,以碘乙酰胺处理,使还原的抗原蛋白通过羧甲基化反应封闭游离的巯基。经上述处理的HBeAg通过分子筛层析可与大部分细菌杂蛋白分开,制品只有HBeAg活性而测不到HBeAg活性,因而提高了抗原蛋白的稳定性与纯度。     

Characterization of T cell clones specific to a determinant of hepatitis B virus core and e antigens in chronic type B hepatitis: Implication for a T cell mechanism of HBV immunopathogenesis

T cell clones specific for hepatitis B core (HBcAg) and e (HBeAg) antigens of hepatitis B virus (HBV) were generated from liver infiltrates of HBeAg-positive patients. Analyzed with a panel of overlapping synthetic peptides spanning the complete sequences of HBcAg and HBeAg, eight clones responded specifically to the e2 peptide (PAYRPPNAPIL; amino acid residues 130–140 of HBcAg and HBeAg), which was doubly restricted by class I and II molecules. A preferential usage of the T cell receptor (TCR) chain variable (V) gene was found: V12.1 for five HLA-Cw9(3)-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clones, and V7.1 for three other HLA-DRw52-restricted type 1 helper T cell (Th1) clones. Although heterogeneous in the usage of TCR chain joining region (J) segments, their junctional-region sequences revealed conserved hydrophilic serine residues in seven of the eight e2-specific T cell clones. Single alanine substitution of the centrally located and the only hydrophilic asparagine residue of e2 peptide abrogated T cell responsiveness. The nonstimulatory e2 analogue could competitively inhibit e2-specific responses. These results demonstrate that both CTL and Th1 clones recognizing a determinant of HBcAg and HBeAg are present in the liver of chronic hepatitis B patients. The preferential V gene usage and the expression of conserved residues in junctional-region sequences of TCR chains by viral-peptide-specific, intrahepatic T cells may provide a T cell mechanism of HBV immunopathogenesis.     

Activation of a heterogeneous hepatitis B (HB) core and e antigen-specific CD4+ T-cell population during seroconversion to anti-HBe and anti-HBs in hepatitis B virus infection.

Overcoming hepatitis B virus infection essentially depends on the appropriate immune response of the infected host. Among the hepatitis B virus antigens, the core (HBcAg) and e (HBeAg) proteins appear highly immunogenic and induce important lymphocyte effector functions. In order to investigate the importance of HBcAg/HBeAg-specific T lymphocytes in patients with acute and chronic hepatitis B and to identify immunodominant epitopes within the HBcAg/HBeAg, CD4+ T-cell responses to hepatitis B virus-encoded HBcAg and HBcAg/HBeAg-derived peptides were studied in 49 patients with acute and 39 patients with chronic hepatitis B. The results show a frequent antigen-specific CD4+ T-cell activation during acute hepatitis B infection, a rare HBcAg/HBeAg-specific CD4+ T-cell response among HBeAg+ chronic carriers, and no response in patients with anti-HBe+ chronic hepatitis. An increasing CD4+ T-cell response to HBcAg/HBeAg coincides with loss of HBeAg and hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg). Functional analysis of peptide-specific CD4+ T-cell clones revealed a heterogeneous population with respect to lymphokine production. Epitope mapping within the HBcAg/HBeAg peptide defined amino acids (aa) 1 to 25 and aa 61 to 85, irrespective of the HLA haplotype, as the predominant CD4+ T-cell recognition sites. Other important sequences could be identified in the amino-terminal part of the protein, aa 21 to 45, aa 41 to 65, and aa 81 to 105. The immunodominant epitopes are expressed in both proteins, HBcAg and HBeAg. Our findings lead to the conclusion that activation of CD4+ T lymphocytes by HBcAg/HBeAg is a prerequisite for viral elimination, and further studies have to focus on the question of how to enhance or induce this type of T-cell response in chronic carriers. The immunodominant viral sequences identified may have relevance to synthetic vaccine design and to the use of peptide T-cell sites as immunotherapeutic agents in chronic infection.