HCG抗原决定簇与乙肝病毒核心抗原的融合表达

利用ＰＣＲ方法获得编码人绒毛膜促性腺激素β链羧端３７肽基因片段（ＨＣＧ－β－３７－ＣＴＰ）,并将其分别和乙肝核心抗原的氨端（第１位）、羧端（第４５４位）、中间（第７５～８３位）以及中间和羧端同时融合,构建Ｔ４个重组融合表达克隆：ｐＣｎ－ＨＣＧ、ｐＣｃ－ＨＣＧ、ｐＣｍ－ＨＣＧ和ｐＣ－ＨＣＧ２,在大肠杆菌中实现了表达。对表达产物中的乙肝核心抗原和ＨＣＧ抗原的抗原性和表达水平、融合蛋白的颗粒性及其免疫原性进行了分析。其中ｐＣｍ－ＨＣＧ和ｐＣｃ－ＨＣＧ能形成颗粒。用ｐＣｍ－ＨＣＧ免疫小鼠能产生高滴度的抗ＨＣＧ抗体,说明核心抗原的中间部位是合适的融合位点。     

Significance of Antibody to Hepatitis B Core Antigen in a Hemodialysis Unit

Serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HB_sAg), antibody to HB_sAg (anti-HB_s) and antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HB_c) were determined serially in patients and staff in a hemodialysis unit. A low prevalence of HB_sAg (2.8 percent) was found. However, in patients without HB_sAg, anti-HB_c alone was present in 9.2 percent, and coexistent anti-HB_s and anti-HB_c in 19.2 percent. In persons with anti-HB_c only, the levels of anti-HB_c correlate positively with abnormal results on liver function studies (LFS). In all subjects with abnormal LFS findings, anti-HB_c levels were greater than 6.04 radioimmunoassay (RIA) units. In subjects with both anti-HB_s and anti-HB_c, all five subjects with higher anti-HB_c relative levels had abnormal LFS results and all subjects with normal LFS results had higher anti-HB_s relative levels. Along with other recent reports in the literature, these findings suggest a hepatitis B prevalence in this hemodialysis unit far in excess of that anticipated on the basis of HB_sAg prevalence.     

乙肝核心抗原作为免疫载体蛋白的研究进展

乙肝核心抗原由于其天然的颗粒组装能力和特异性激发针对外源表位的体液免疫和细胞免疫作用的特性,成为载体蛋白研究的热点.本简要综述乙肝核心抗原的结构特点、免疫学特性、作为免疫载体蛋白的研究进展及其应用研究.     

Total Hepatitis B Core Antigen Antibody,a Quantitative Non-Invasive Marker of Hepatitis B Virus Induced Liver Disease

Non invasive immunologic markers of virus-induced liver disease are unmet needs. We tested the clinical significance of quantitative total and IgM-anti-HBc in well characterized chronic-HBsAg-carriers. Sera (212) were obtained from 111 HBsAg-carriers followed-up for 52 months (28-216) during different phases of chronic-HBV-genotype-D-infection: 10 HBeAg-positive, 25 inactive-carriers (HBV-DNA≤2000IU/ml, ALT<30U/L), 66 HBeAg-negative-CHB-patients and 10 with HDV-super-infection. In 35 patients treated with Peg-IFN±nucleos(t)ide-analogues (NUCs) sera were obtained at baseline, end-of-therapy and week-24-off-therapy and in 22 treated with NUCs (for 60 months, 42-134m) at baseline and end-of-follow-up. HBsAg and IgM-anti-HBc were measured by Architect-assays (Abbott, USA); total-anti-HBc by double-antigen-sandwich-immune-assay (Wantai, China); HBV-DNA by COBAS-TaqMan (Roche, Germany). Total-anti-HBc were detectable in all sera with lower levels in HBsAg-carriers without CHB (immune-tolerant, inactive and HDV-superinfected, median 3.26, range 2.26-4.49 Log₁₀ IU/ml) versus untreated-CHB (median 4.68, range 2.76-5.54 Log₁₀ IU/ml), p<0.0001. IgM-anti-HBc positive using the chronic-hepatitis-cut-off" (0.130-S/CO) were positive in 102 of 212 sera (48.1%). Overall total-anti-HBc and IgM-anti-HBc correlated significantly (p<0.001, r=0.417). Total-anti-HBc declined significantly in CHB patients with response to Peg-IFN (p<0.001) and in NUC-treated patients (p<0.001); the lowest levels (median 2.68, range 2.12-3.08 Log₁₀ IU/ml) were found in long-term responders who cleared HBsAg subsequently. During spontaneous and therapy-induced fluctuations of CHB (remissions and reactivations) total- and IgM-anti-HBc correlated with ALT (p<0.001, r=0.351 and p=0.008, r=0.185 respectively). Total-anti-HBc qualifies as a useful marker of HBV-induced-liver-disease that might help to discriminate major phases of chronic HBV infection and to predict sustained response to antivirals.     

High Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Levels Predict Insignificant Fibrosis in Hepatitis B e Antigen Positive Chronic Hepatitis B

Introduction

There is no data on the relationship between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels and liver fibrosis in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods

Serum HBsAg and HBV DNA levels in HBeAg-positive CHB patients with liver biopsies were analyzed. The upper limit of normal (ULN) of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was 30 and 19 U/L for men and women respectively. Histologic assessment was based on Ishak fibrosis staging for fibrosis and Knodell histologic activity index (HAI) for necroinflammation.

Results

140 patients (65% male, median age 32.7 years) were recruited. 56 (40%) had ALT ≤2×ULN. 72 (51.4%) and 42 (30%) had fibrosis score ≤1 and necroinflammation grading ≤4 respectively. Patients with fibrosis score ≤1, when compared to patients with fibrosis score >1, had significantly higher median HBsAg levels (50,320 and 7,820 IU/mL respectively, p<0.001). Among patients with ALT ≤2×ULN, serum HBsAg levels achieved an area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.869 in predicting fibrosis score ≤1. HBsAg levels did not accurately predict necroinflammation score. HBsAg ≥25,000 IU/mL was independently associated with fibrosis score ≤1 (p = 0.025, odds ratio 9.042).Using this cut-off HBsAg level in patients with ALT ≤2×ULN, positive and negative predictive values for predicting fibrosis score ≤1 were 92.7% and 60.0% respectively. HBV DNA levels had no association with liver histology.

Conclusion

Among HBeAg-positive patients with ALT ≤2×ULN, high serum HBsAg levels can accurately predict fibrosis score ≤1, and could potentially influence decisions concerning treatment commencement and reduce the need for liver biopsy.     

Structure of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen from Subviral Tubes Determined by Electron Cryomicroscopy

Hepatitis B virus consists of an icosahedral core containing the double-stranded DNA genome, enveloped by a membrane with embedded surface proteins. The crystal structure of the core protein has been solved but little information about the structure of the surface proteins has so far been available. There are three sizes of surface protein, small (S), medium (M) and large (L), which form disulfide-bonded homo- and heterodimers. The three proteins, expressed from different start sites in the coding sequence, share the common C-terminal S region; the M protein contains an additional preS2 sequence N-terminal to S, and the L protein a further preS1 sequence N-terminal to M. In infected individuals, the surface proteins are produced in huge excess over the amount needed for viral envelopment and are secreted as a heterogeneous mixture of isometric and tubular subviral particles. We have used electron cryomicroscopy to study tubular particles extracted from human serum. Helical Fourier-Bessel analysis was used to calculate a low-resolution map, although it showed that the tubes were quite disordered. From the symmetry derived from this analysis, we used single-particle methods to improve the resolution. We found that the tubes had a diameter of approximately 250 Å, with spike-like features projecting from the membrane. In the plane of the membrane the proteins appear to be close packed. We propose a model for the packing arrangement of surface protein dimers in the tubes.     

乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原作为免疫载体的研究进展

乙型肝炎病毒核心蛋白(HBc)基因序列的C端、N端以及MIR区在插入外源基因后,能够正确折叠和组装成病毒样颗粒(VLPs),并且将外源序列暴露到衣壳的刺突,诱发强烈的外源序列特异的体液和细胞免疫反应.因此,HBc可作为基因工程疫苗的载体,在病毒性传染病的预防和肿瘤疫苗的开发和研制中都有广阔的前景.本文将从HBc作为免疫载体所具备的优势及其在病毒性传染病和肿瘤疫苗的应用进行综述.     

Ultrastructural Studies of Hepatitis A Virus by Electron Microscopy

Well-defined, core-like structures were visualized in hepatitis A virus particles by a modified microelectron microscopy technique.     

Hepatitis B Antigen in Viral Hepatitis in West London

During the first 12 months of a total population survey 249 patients were seen with viral hepatitis. A total of 215 of these were tested for hepatitis B antigen (HB Ag) by radioimmunoassay and 32 (15%) were positive.More than five times as many men (27) as women (5) were HBAg positive and 19 of the men were between the ages of 20 and 39 years. There were only four drug addicts among those tested, two of whom were positive, as were two of the four patients who were tattooed.Sixty out of 86 children (under 15 years) were tested for HBAg and none was positive.     

Three-Dimensional Electron Microscopy of the Photosystem II Core Complex

A three-dimensional image of the spinach photosystem II core complex composed of CP47, D1, D2, cytochromeb-559, andpsbI gene product was reconstructed at 20-Å resolution from the two-dimensional crystals negatively stained with phosphotungstate. Confirming the previous proposal, the crystal had ap22₁2₁symmetry. One PSII core complex was measured to be 80 × 80 Å in the membrane plane and 88 Å normal to it. The mass distribution was asymmetric about the lipid bilayer, consistent with predictions from the amino acid sequences. The lumenal mass consisted of three domains forming a characteristic triangular platform with another domain on top of it. Three stromal domains were smaller and linearly arranged. Due to strong stain exclusion in the hydrophobic core part of the lipid bilayer, the transmembrane region appeared to be imaged with a reversed contrast. Inverting the contrast resulted in a reasonable density distribution for that part. Thus, though the information on the transmembrane region is limited, the domain structure of the PSII core complex was revealed and allowed us to propose a model for the arrangement of subunits in the PSII core complex.     

突变型乙肝病毒核心抗原DNA疫苗的体外表达

目的:构建突变型核心抗原核酸疫苗,观察该核酸疫苗在体外蛋白的表达.方法:采用基因工程定点突变技术,构建5种突变型核酸疫苗,分别去除乙肝病毒核心抗原N端的第1、2位氨基酸,命名为M12,去除3、4位氨基酸命名为M34以及去除5、6位的氨基酸命名为M56,用上述构建的核酸疫苗与野生型HBc核酸疫苗(pJW4303/Hc)及空载体质粒pJW4303分别用脂质体转染293T细胞,应用蛋白印迹法检测核心蛋白的表达.结果:经过pstl和BgI双酶切和测序鉴定结果突变型核心抗原核酸疫苗构建成功.在去除2个氨基酸的核酸疫苗结果中显示:野生型pJW4303/HBe、M12、及M56体外转染293T细胞后,在细胞上清和裂解中能很好的表达,而M34上清未见表达,仅裂解中可见极少量疑似表达条带;在原有基础上分别去除第3位和第4住氨基酸,命名为M3和M4,结果显示M3上清未见表达,裂解液中可见少量表达,而M4在上清和裂解中均可见明显的表达.结论:去除核心抗原N端第3位的氨基酸(M3)可以明显影响核心抗原的表达,HBcAg氨基端第3位氨基酸对蛋白的表达可能起到重要的作用.     

PDGF受体结合域与乙肝病毒核心抗原的融合表达

化学合成血小板源性生长因子受体结合域１３肽基因,并与乙肝病毒核心抗原基因５′端融合,序列分析表明化学合成的１３肽基因及融合后基因的阅读框架正确．将融合基因亚克隆于ｔａｃ启动子控制的ｐＥＴ３ａ表达质粒中并于大肠杆菌中表达．表达产物经ＥＬＩＳＡ、ＷｅｓｔｒｅｎＢｌｏｔ鉴定表明,融合蛋白已被表达,其单位分子量与推算值一致．电镜观察证明所表达的融合蛋白能形成颗粒．     

Localization of Somatic Antigen on Gram-Negative Bacteria by Electron Microscopy.

Shands, J. W. (University of Florida, Gainesville). Localization of somatic antigen on gram-negative bacteria by electron microscopy. J. Bacteriol. 90:266-270. 1965.-Antisera specific for the somatic antigens of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli O113 were prepared, and globulins isolated from these antisera were labeled with ferritin. Micrographs of labeled, sectioned bacteria show that somatic antigen is located in considerable quantities on the surface of the bacteria, and, furthermore, that it can extend up to 150 mmu beyond the confines of the cell wall. The arrangement of the ferritin on the bacteria suggests that the antigenic sites are located on fibrillar structures.     

甲型肝炎、乙型肝炎病毒混合抗原的细胞免疫学研究

评价甲型肝炎病毒和乙型肝炎病毒混合抗原对细胞免疫反应的影响。采用小鼠迟发型超敏反应(DTH)、脾脏淋巴细胞增殖实验和淋巴细胞亚型分群实验 ,对甲肝抗原 (HAAg)、乙肝表面抗原 (HBsAg)和甲乙肝混合抗原 (HAAg +HBsAg)进行检测 ,并进行统计学分析。混合抗原没有降低相应单价抗原的各项细胞免疫反应强度 ,且较单一 ,HBsAg表现出了显著的抗原特异性T淋巴细胞和Th2细胞增殖作用 (P <0 .0 5 )。混合抗原表现出良好的细胞免疫反应原性 ,同时可能辅助B细胞 ,增强体液免疫应答能力。     

Microtiter Solid-Phase Radioimmunoassay for Hepatitis B Antigen

A micro-solid-phase radioimmunoassay (micro-SPRIA) for hepatitis B antigen (HB Ag) was developed for use with microtiter serological equipment. Radiolabeled immunoglobulin G was prepared from human and animal sera containing hepatitis B antibody (HB Ab); it was not necessary to isolate specific HB Ab by immunochemical means. A micro-SPRIA prepared with guinea pig reagents was approximately as sensitive as the AusRIA radioimmunoassay, but, like the AusRIA test, yielded false positive results. A micro-SPRIA prepared with human reagents was slightly less sensitive but did not yield false positive results. These micro-SPRIA tests offer several advantages, including conservation of reagents, adaptability to other antigen-antibody systems, ease of performance (especially when testing large numbers of specimens), and economy.     

丙型肝炎病毒免疫电镜的初步研究

采用组织匀浆免疫沉淀后负染、免疫组化块染后包埋、原位包埋等免疫电镜技术,研究丙型肝炎病毒（ＨＣＶ）。组织匀浆、免疫沉定、负染后在电镜下观察到与ＨＣＶ相关的类病毒颗粒,形态与披膜病毒相似,大小多在５５～６５ｎｍ,圆形,有包膜,边缘略有突起或比较平滑,有胶体金结合在此种颗粒上及其周围。无关单抗阴性对照无类似颗粒及胶体金。免疫酶染电镜下还见到成堆可疑颗粒。此外,ＨＣＶ－Ｅ区抗原染色后原位包埋,尚发现胶体金大多结合于大小５０ｎｍ左右圆形结构的内部,表明Ｅ区单抗针对的特异性抗原位点位于这种结构的内侧。     

Biophysical and Biochemical Heterogeneity of Purified Hepatitis B Antigen

Hepatitis B antigen of the D (a+, d+, y-) subtype was purified from plasma of apparently healthy persons and from hepatitis patients. The original samples contained 20- and 42-nm particles and tubular forms (20-nm diameter). Ultracentrifugation during the purification procedure yielded pellets which were then treated at pH 2.4. Both the large, 42-nm Dane particles and the tubular forms were lost during the acid treatment of the pelleted particles, yielding a preparation containing a mixture of particles approximately 20 and 25 nm in diameter. This difference in size was substantiated in that two distinct molecular weights were calculated from high-speed equilibrium data, 3.6 x 10(6) and 4.5 x 10(6). Further heterogeneity was observed in that hepatitis B antigenic activity was present in purified particles with an isoelectric pH of 4.0 and also in those with a pH of 4.4. No significant differences were observed in the gross amino acid composition of purified antigen obtained from plasma of three different persons. (125)I-labeled, purified antigen was found to contain six distinct polypeptides with molecular weights ranging from 10,000 to 39,000.     

Specificity and Sensitivity of Radioimmunoassay for Hepatitis B Antigen

Sera from a survey of 6,026 people were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen by using radioimmunoassay and counterelectrophoresis. Forty-eight sera (0.79%) were positive by counterelectrophoresis and 152 sera (2.52%) were positive by radioimmunoassay, using the most liberal of the recommended criteria for positivity (i.e., counts 3 standard deviations above the mean). Absorption tests performed on the 152 radioimmunoassay-positive sera showed that 10 (6.6%) were false-positive reactions to guinea pig protein, 74 (48.6%) were due to false-positive reaction(s) with other protein(s) in the test system, and 68 (44.8%) were true positives. There was a strong correlation between the degree of elevation of radioactive counts and the proportions of sera that were true positives; all 49 sera with counts >50 standard deviation units above the mean were true positives, but only 19 (18.4%) of the 103 sera with counts <50 standard deviation units were true positives. A few sera with high counts required absorption with type-specific (type D) antisera. The following conclusions were reached from this study: (i) absorption tests should be run on all radioimmunoassay-positive, counterelectrophoresis-negative sera; (ii) most (about 90%) false positives are not due to anti-guinea-pig protein reactions; and (iii) radioimmunoassay, in combination with absorption tests, yields a modest increase (about 35%) in detection of true positives over use of counterelectrophoresis alone.     

Prevalence of Hepatitis B Antigen and Antibody in Prostitutes

We investigated the prevalence of hepatitis B antigen (HBAg) and antibody (HBAb) in 293 prostitutes and in 379 pregnant women of similar age and of low socioeconomic level, who served as controls. HBAg was found in 4·4% of prostitutes and 3·4% of controls. The prevalence of HBAb was significantly higher (P <0·001) in prostitutes (56·7%) than in controls (24·5%). The prevalence of HBAb was clearly age-dependent in both groups. Evidence of hepatitis B virus infection significantly increased with the number of years in prostitution. The evidence of increased infection rates among prostitutes and their distribution support the hypothesis that hepatitis B infection is sexually transmitted.     

Subtypes of Hepatitis B Antigen in Blood Donors and Post-transfusion Hepatitis: Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects

Subtyping of hepatitis B antigen (HBA) in blood donors revealed subtype ad in 56% while patients with icteric post-transfusion hepatitis from the same centre showed subtype ay in the majority of the cases (75%). Donors with subtype ad in serum were mostly asymptomatic long-term carriers of the antigen with normal liver function (83%), while 70% of donors with subtype ay in serum had signs of acute or chronic liver disease. Healthy long-term carriers of HBA seem to present little risk of transmitting hepatitis irrespective of subtype. It is, however, possible that these differences in blood donors with subtype ad and patients with post-transfusion hepatitis with subtype ay might reflect epidemiological circumstances rather than biological differences in the two viral strains.