Comprehensive study of hepatitis B virus genotypes and mutations involved in the pathogenesis

为探讨乙肝病毒基因分型和变异与发病机制的关系，对常见的重型肝炎病毒B1/Bj型进行了全基因组分析。有趣的是，导致前核心区移码的单核苷酸插入/缺失在暴发型肝炎病毒株中经常被发现。此外，核心蛋白的21位氨基酸突变也很常见。体外研究表明，具有这些插入/缺失/突变的乙肝病毒具有很高的复制能力。这些发现可能在一定程度上阐明重型肝炎的发病机制。

To investigate hepatitis B virus (HBV)genotypes and mutations that are involved in the pathogenesis, full-genome analysis of genotype B1/Bj HBV, which is known to occur fulminant hepatitis frequently, was performed. Interestingly, single nucleotide insertion/deletion that causes frameshift in the precore region was found frequently in fulminant hepatitis strains. Furthermore, amino acid 21 mutation in the core protein was also found frequently. In vitro studies clarified that HBV with these insertion/deletion/mutation showed high replication capacity. These findings might clarify a part of fulminant hepatitis pathogenesis.