Detection of antibody to hepatitis C E2/NS1 protein in patients with type C hepatitis. |
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| Authors: | O Yokosuka Y Ito F Imazeki M Ohto M Omata |
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| Affiliation: | First Department of Medicine, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan. |
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| Abstract: | Putative E2/NS1 sequence of hepatitis C virus was expressed in E. coli as a fusion protein with maltose binding protein. Approximately 80 kDa protein was obtained containing 38 kDa E2/NS1 protein. The antibody to this protein was detectable in the same serum from which the sequence was amplified. It was also detectable in none of 7 acute hepatitis, in 2 of 12 chronic persistent hepatitis, in 3 of 25 chronic active hepatitis, and in 2 of 4 cirrhosis. It was detectable in none of 10 normal subjects. In 3 cases who were positive for the antibody before the interferon treatment, it became undetectable after the treatment. Thus, it seems that the antibody is not a neutralizing antibody and is related to active viral replication. |
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