Pre-structured motifs in the natively unstructured preS1 surface antigen of hepatitis B virus

The preS1 surface antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is known to play an important role in the initial attachment of HBV to hepatocytes. We have characterized structural features of the full-length preS1 using heteronuclear NMR methods and discovered that this 119-residue protein is inherently unstructured without a unique tertiary structure under a nondenaturing condition. Yet, combination of various NMR parameters shows that the preS1 contains "pre-structured" domains broadly covering its functional domains. The most prominent domain is formed by residues 27-45 and overlaps with the putative hepatocyte-binding domain (HBD) encompassing residues 21-47, within which two well-defined pre-structured motifs, formed by Pro(32)-Ala(36) and Pro(41)-Phe(45) are found. Additional, somewhat less prominent, pre-structured motifs are also formed by residues 11-18, 22-25, 37-40, and 46-50. Overall results suggest that the preS1 is a natively unstructured protein (NUP) whose N-terminal 50 residues, populated with multiple pre-structured motifs, contribute critically to hepatocyte binding.     

A modified hepatitis B surface antigen carrying both preS1 and preS2 epitopes

ＴｈｅｅｎｖｅｌｏｐｅｐｒｏｔｅｉｎｏｆｈｅｐａｔｉｔｉｓＢｖｉｒｕｓ(ＨＢＶ)ｃｏｎｓｉｓｔｓｏｆｔｈｒｅｅｐｒｏｔｅｉｎｓ:ｓｍａｌｌ(Ｓ),ｍｉｄｄｌｅ(Ｍ)ａｎｄｌａｒｇｅ(Ｌ)[1].ＴｈｅＳｐｒｏｔｅｉｎｃａｒｒｉｅｓａｌｌｔｈｅｉｎｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎｒｅｑｕｉｒｅｄｆｏｒｃｅｌｌｕｌａｒｌｉｐｉｄｓｍｏｂｉｌｉｚａｔｉｏｎ,ｓｕｂｖｉｒａｌｐａｒｔｉｃｌｅｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎａｎｄｓｅｃｒｅｔｉｏｎ.Ｉｔｈａｓｂｅｅｎｓｕｃｃｅｓｓｆｕｌｌｙｄｅｖｅｌｏｐｅｄａｓａｃａｒｒｉｅｒｔｏｅｘｐｒｅｓｓｆ…     

Efficient expression and characterization of hepatitis B virus preS2 antigen in Escherichia coli

The complete (encoding 55 amino acids, aa) or partial (encoding aa 1–26) preS2 region gene of hepatitis B virus (HBV) was fused to the 3-end of glutathion-S-transferase (GST) gene and expressed under the control of the inducible tac promoter in Escherichia coli at 37 °C. The fusion protein with the complete preS2 region was moderately expressed (8%) while the protein with the N-terminal 26 aa was expressed at a higher level, yielding about 20% of the total cellular proteins. The GST-preS2 (aa 1–26) protein, which contains the immunodominant epitope, was produced form the soluble protein fraction of the recombinant bacteria and purified by affinity chromatography using glutathione-agarose column. The purified preS2 fusion protein showed the antigenicity of preS2, as assessed by indirect and competitive ELISAs.     

不同佐剂对preS2／S乙型肝炎疫苗免疫原性的影响

目的探讨不同佐剂对preS2／S乙型肝炎疫苗免疫原性的影响。方法将BALB／C小鼠随机分为6组：铝屯剂组（S＋AI和S2／S＋A1）、细胞因子佐剂组（S2／S＋CKl、S2／S＋CK2和S2／S＋CK3）及阴性对照组（NG）,用相应抗原且腔免疫各组小鼠,1mL／只,分别于免疫后2、4和6周采血,分离血清,ELISA法检测血清中抗-HBs抗体和preS2圭体水平;wsT一1法检测淋巴细胞增殖情况。结果免疫后2周,铝佐剂组（S＋A1和S2／S＋A1）抗体水平较高,阳转i达100％,而细胞因子佐剂组抗-HBs抗体水平均较低,S2／S＋CK2及S2／S＋CK3组抗体阳转率为0,与NG组比较2异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）;免疫后4周,细胞因子佐剂组抗-HBs抗体水平升高明显,铝佐剂组S2／S＋A1抗体水习显著高于S＋A1（P〈0．05）;免疫后6周,细胞因子佐剂组抗体水平高于铝佐剂组,其中S2／S＋CKl组抗体水平较高免疫后2周,各组小鼠血清中抗-preS2抗体均达到较高水平,各组间差异均无统计学意义（P〉0．05）;免疫后4月和6周,抗体水平均有所下降,但下降不明显;铝佐剂组S＋AI和S2／S＋A1抗-preS2抗体水平差异无统计学意义（P0．05）。免疫后4周,各组小鼠淋巴细胞刺激指数铝佐剂组（S＋A1和S2／S＋A1）低于细胞因子佐剂组,且差异有统t学意义（P〈0．05）,其中S2／S＋CKl组淋巴细胞增殖水平较高。结论不同佐剂的preS2／S乙型肝炎疫苗均能诱导较高水平的抗-HBs和抗-preS2抗体,细胞因子佐剂组淋巴细胞增殖水平显著高于铝佐剂组,为新型乙型肝炎疫l和治疗性乙型肝炎疫苗的研究提供了实验依据。     

人乙型肝炎病毒前表面抗原(preS)基因的突变及其在家蚕细胞中影响表达的研究

为探讨人乙型肝炎病毒 (HBV)前表面抗原 (preS)基因的表达调控机理 ,以实现高效表达 ,利用PCR方法在克隆的 preS基因的第 2、3位密码子引入同义突变 ,消除存在于 5 '端编码区保守的反向重复序列 ,将 preS基因及其突变形式 (MpreS)分别重组到转移载体 pBM0 30 ,获得 pBM preS和pBM MpreS。将 pBM preS和 pBM MpreS分别与野生型家蚕核型多角体病毒 (BmNPV)DNA共转染家蚕培养细胞 (BmN) ,经空斑筛选和杂交证实 ,分别获得重组病毒rBmNPV preS和rBmNPV MpreS。RNA点杂交和ELISA结果表明 :虽然在rBmNPV preS和rBmNPV MpreS感染的BmN细胞内都转录了 preS基因 ,但仅后者表达出 preS蛋白 ,提示preS基因的表达与基因内部起始区的反向重复序列密切相关。     

Interaction of preS domains of hepatitis B virus with phospholipid vesicles

The role of preS domains of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope proteins in the first steps of viral infection has been restricted to their implication in virus attachment to a putative hepatocyte receptor. In order to explore a fusion activity in these regions, we used recombinant preS domains to characterize their interaction with liposomes. Binding experiments carried out with NBD-labeled proteins indicated that preS were able to interact in a monomeric way with acidic phospholipid vesicles, being the partition coefficient similar to that described for peptides which can insert deeply into bilayers. Fluorescence depolarization of DPH-labeled vesicles confirmed the specificity for negative charged phospholipids. Upon interaction the proteins induced aggregation, lipid mixing and release of internal contents of acidic vesicles at both acid and neutral pH in a concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, all these data indicate that preS domains are able to insert into the hydrophobic core of the bilayer. Moreover, the insertion resulted in a protein conformational change which increased the helical content. Therefore all these results suggest that, besides their participation in the recognition of a cellular receptor, the preS domains could be involved in the fusion mechanism of HBV with the plasma membrane of target cells.     

Immunogenicity of recombinant hepatitis B virus surface antigen fused with preS1 epitopes expressed in rice seeds

To test the possibility of producing a novel hepatitis B vaccine in plants, the modified hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) gene SS1 was expressed in rice under the control of the seed-specific Glub-4 promoter. The SS1 gene encodes a fusion protein consisting of amino acids 21-47 of the hepatocyte receptor-binding presurface 1 region (preS1) fused to the truncated C-terminus of the major HBV surface (S) protein. The production of antibodies against the preS1 region acts to protect humans against HBV infection by preventing HBV from binding to hepatocytes. The presence of SS1 in the genome of transgenic rice was confirmed by PCR and Southern blot analysis, and RNA dot blot analysis indicated that the fused SS1 gene was specifically expressed in rice seeds, with the highest expression level being about 31.5 ng/g dry weight grain. Western blot analysis revealed that the recombinant SS1 protein could be specifically recognized by both an anti-S protein antibody and an anti-preS1 antibody. The recombinant SS1 protein was also observed to form virus-like particles with a diameter of about 22 nm and a density of 1.25 g cm(-3). Furthermore, immunological responses against both the S and preS1 epitopes were induced in BALB/c mice immunized with the recombinant SS1 protein, indicating that this rice-derived SS1 protein could be a promising candidate as an alternative HBV vaccine for preventing hepatitis B.     

治疗性乙型肝炎疫苗研究进展

乙肝疫苗多用于预防乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)。近年来,人们的研究重点转移到了针对慢性乙肝病毒携带和慢性乙肝患的治疗性疫苗的开发上。本就治疗性乙肝疫苗的分类、机制及临床疗效加以综述。     

乙型肝炎病毒DNA疫苗的研究进展

预防与控制乙型肝炎发病的乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)疫苗,是有重大的社会和经济意义。HBV的持续感染可引起慢性肝脏疾患,并逐步发展为肝硬化和肝细胞癌(HCC)。目前的乙肝重组亚单位疫苗可以使90％的接种产生保护性抗体;但是对慢性HBV携带,由于其机体对HBsAg蛋白产生耐受,不能产生体液和细胞免疫,因此它只能作为一种预防性的疫苗。DNA疫苗(基因疫苗)是一种新的疫苗技术,通过向体内递送编码抗原的细菌质粒,刺激产生特异的体液和细胞免疫反应。在小鼠和其他的肝炎病毒感染动物模型中,HBV DNA疫苗可以特异性地引起体液和细胞免疫,清除HBV转基因动物血循环中的HBsAg颗粒和HBV DNA。如果加入各种免疫调节细胞因子的基因,可以进一步提高HBV DNA疫苗的免疫效果,因此它不仅可作为预防性疫苗,也可作为治疗型疫苗。     

Genotype and subtype analyses of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and possible co-infection of HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis D virus (HDV) in blood donors, patients with chronic liver disease and patients on hemodialysis in Surabaya, Indonesia

Four subtypes (adw, adr, ayw, and ayr ) and eight genotypes (A to H) of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) have been identified. They appear to be associated with particular geographic distribution, ethnicity, and possibly clinical outcomes. In this study, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) subtyping and HBV genotyping were carried out on sera obtained from HBsAg-positive HBV carriers, including healthy blood donors; patients with acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma; and patients on hemodialysis all located in Surabaya, Indonesia. We report here that all HBV isolates tested in Surabaya belonged to genotype B, with more than 90% of them being classified into subtype adw. Our results also revealed that prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection among HBV carriers in Surabaya was approximately 10% for healthy blood donors and patients with chronic liver disease, and approximately 60% for patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Interestingly, HBsAg titers were lower in HBV carriers with HCV co-infection than in those without HCV co-infection. We also found that prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) co-infection was < 0.5% among HBV carriers in Surabaya.     

血清乙肝病毒大蛋白与乙肝前S1抗原联合检测在HBeAg阴性乙肝患者诊断中的意义

目的 探讨乙型肝炎e抗原阴性[HBeAg（－）]乙肝患者血清乙肝病毒大蛋白（HBV-LP）和乙肝前S1抗原（PreS1-Ag）联合检测的临床意义。方法 采用酶联免疫吸附（ELISA）法测定300例慢性乙肝患者的血清HBV-LP和PreS1-Ag浓度;实时荧光定量PCR（qRT-PCR）法检测血清HBV-DNA表达量;比较不同HBV-M模式下HBV-LP、PreS1-Ag与HBV-DNA的阳性检出率;分析以HBV-DNA表达量作为HBV感染及复制的金标准时,血清HBV-LP和PreS1-Ag单独检测及联合检测对HBeAg阴性乙肝患者的阳性预测值和阴性预测值。结果 （1）115例HBeAg（+）血清中,HBV-LP和PreS1-Ag的阳性率均与HBV-DNA阳性率差异无统计学意义（Ps＞0.05）;120例HBeAg（－）HBeAb（+）血清中,HBV-LP阳性率（64.2%）明显高于HBV-DNA阳性率（P＜0.05）,而PreS1-Ag阳性率与HBV-DNA阳性率差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）;65例HBeAg（－）HBeAb（－）血清中,HBV-LP阳性率（72.3%）和PreS1-Ag阳性率（67.7%）均明显高于HBV-DNA阳性率（Ps＜0.05）;（2）以185例HBeAg（－）乙肝患者的HBV-DNA表达量为参考标准,HBV-LP、PreS1-Ag的阳性预测值分别为72.6%、71.6%,阴性预测值分别为93.4%、84.1%;HBV-LP和PreS1-Ag联合检测,HBV-LP/PreS1-Ag双阳性中的HBV-DNA阳性率（66.0%）显著高于HBV-LP/PreS1-Ag双阴性（P＜0.05）。结论 血清HBV-LP和PreS1-Ag水平与HBV-DNA表达量有关,二者联合检测可灵敏地反映HBeAg（－）乙肝患者HBV的复制状态,预测HBV-DNA水平。     

Identification of the critical regions in hepatitis B virus preS required for its stability.

As a hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope domain, preS plays significant roles in receptor recognition and viral infection. However, the regions critical for maintaining a stable and functional conformation of preS are still unclear and require further investigation. In order to unravel these regions, serially truncated fragments of preS were constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. Their solubility, stability, secondary structure, and affinity to polyclonal antibodies and hepatocytes were examined. The results showed that amino acids 31-36 were vital for its stable conformation, and the absence of 10-36 amino acids significantly reduced its binding to polyclonal antibodies as well as hepatocytes. The most stable fragment 1-120 (preS1 + N-terminal 12 amino acids of preS2), perhaps the core of preS, was discovered, which bound to HepG2 cells most tightly. Moreover, the availability of large amounts of well-folded and stable preS1-120 enables us to carry out further structural determination and mechanistic study on HBV infection.     

免疫因素及cccDNA 与HBV的持续感染

由于乙肝疫苗普遍接种,乙型肝炎的流行已经下降,但慢性乙型肝炎（CHB）仍是严重的全球性公共卫生问题。超螺旋共价闭合环状DNA（cccDNA）作为原始转录模板,逃避机体免疫及抗病毒药物清除,在HBV持续感染中发挥重要作用。基于调节患者对HBV的免疫功能研究新的治疗策略以清除细胞核内cccDNA可能成为根除HBV持续感染的途径。     

Antisense therapy of hepatitis B virus infection

Chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major health problem worldwide. The only established therapy is interferon-a with an efficacy of only 30–40% in highly selected patients. The discovery of animal viruses closely related to the HBV has contributed to active research on antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis B. The animal model tested and described in this article are Peking ducks infected with the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV). Molecular therapeutic strategies aimed at blocking gene expression include antisense DNA. An antisense oligodeoxynucleotide directed against the 5′-region of the preS gene of DHBV inhibited viral replication and gene expression in vitro in primary duck hepatocytes and in vivo in Peking ducks. These results demonstrate the potential clinical use of antisense DNA as antiviral therapeutics.     

Analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis B virus

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is considered one of the main driving forces in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Human HBV is a partially double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) virus consisting of approximately 3.2 kbp. HBV predominantly infects hepatocytes via the receptor sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) and coreceptor hepatic proteoglycan. The replication of HBV in hepatocytes leads to apoptosis while simultaneously leading to cirrhosis and cancer. Although the integration of dsDNA into the hepatocyte genome seems to be the main cause of mutation, since the discovery of their function, viral proteins have been shown to regulate the P53 pathway or P13K/AKT pathway to prevent host cell apoptosis, causing uncontrolled proliferation of liver cells leading to the formation of solid tumours. The most common treatments involve nucleo(s)tide analogue (NA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated interferon-alpha (PegIFN-α). NA treatment has been found to be effective for the majority of patients and induces few side effects. Nevertheless, the rate of seroconversion is relatively low. PegIFN treatment is contraindicated during pregnancy and leads to a higher morbidity rate, but the seroconversion rate is high. Since medicines and vaccines have been developed, the incidence and mortality of HBV related to HCC have profoundly decreased compared to those in 2000. This review investigates what can be the potential mechanism that HBV can cause HBV and the treatment used in chronic and acute infection.     

Expression of the hepatitis B surface S and preS2 antigens in tubers of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Solanum tuberosum</Emphasis>

In an attempt to develop an edible vaccine, we transformed a recombinant hepatitis B virus (HBV) gene encoding the middle protein of HBV that contains the surface S and preS2 antigen into potato by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The HBV gene was under control of either the CaMV 35S promoter, the double 35S promoter with the AlMV 5 non-translated leader sequence, or the tuber-specific patatin promoter. HBV mRNA levels were higher with the 35S promoter than with the double 35S and patatin promoters; however, the levels of the S and preS2 antigen in the transformed tubers were higher with the patatin promoter than with the CaMV 35S and double promoters. The levels of preS2 antigen produced are the highest reported to date. Transgenic potato tubers were fed to mice, and the mice showed an immune response against the HBV S antigen.     

Expression and characterization of hepatitis C virus core protein fused to hepatitis B virus core antigen

Recombinant plasmids were constructed by fusing the gene fragments encoding the full-length (1-191aa) and the truncated (1-40aa and 1-69aa) HCV core proteins (HCc) respectively to the core gene of HBV at the position of amino acid 144 and expressed in E. coli. The products were analyzed by ELISA, Western blotting as well as the immunization of the mice. The results showed that those fusion proteins (B144C191, B144C69, B144C40) possessed the dual antigenicity and immunogenicity of both hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg) and hepatitis C virus core protein (HCc). Analysis by electron microscopy and CsCl density gradient ultra-centrifugation revealed that similar to the HBcAg itself, all fusion proteins were able to form particles. Comparison of the antigenicity and immunogenicity of those fusion proteins showed that the length of HCc gene fused to HBeAg had no much effect on the antigenicity and immunogenicity of HBcAg, however, B144C69 and B144C40 induced higher titres antibodies against HCc than B14d