Mutations affecting the replication capacity of the hepatitis B virus

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J Viral Hepat. 2006 Jul;13(7):427-34. Related Articles, Links

Mutations affecting the replication capacity of the hepatitis B virus.

Sheldon J, Rodes B, Zoulim F, Bartholomeusz A, Soriano V.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital III, Madrid, Spain.

The genetic variability of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) encounters two

compounding forces: a high viral copy number produced during active

replication and the lack of proofreading activity in the HBV polymerase,

resulting in a high mutational rate. A large pool of quasispecies is

generated in which the fittest virus, i.e. the virus that replicates best,

becomes the dominant species. Immune and antiviral selection pressures

result in vaccine/immunoglobulin escape mutants and antiviral resistant

variants. Viruses encoding changes associated with antiviral resistance

often have reduced replication in vitro, but the accumulation of additional

mutations helps restore viral fitness. These compensatory mutations may

occur not only in the polymerase gene but also in other genes such as the

overlapping envelope gene, the precore gene, or in regulatory regions such

as the basal core promoter. In this report we aim to review the new findings

that have appeared in recent months.

PMID: 16792535 [PubMed - in process]

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[Guest guest]

J Viral Hepat. 2006 Jul;13(7):427-34. Related Articles, Links

Mutations affecting the replication capacity of the hepatitis B virus.

Sheldon J, Rodes B, Zoulim F, Bartholomeusz A, Soriano V.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Hospital III, Madrid, Spain.

The genetic variability of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) encounters two

compounding forces: a high viral copy number produced during active

replication and the lack of proofreading activity in the HBV polymerase,

resulting in a high mutational rate. A large pool of quasispecies is

generated in which the fittest virus, i.e. the virus that replicates best,

becomes the dominant species. Immune and antiviral selection pressures

result in vaccine/immunoglobulin escape mutants and antiviral resistant

variants. Viruses encoding changes associated with antiviral resistance

often have reduced replication in vitro, but the accumulation of additional

mutations helps restore viral fitness. These compensatory mutations may

occur not only in the polymerase gene but also in other genes such as the

overlapping envelope gene, the precore gene, or in regulatory regions such

as the basal core promoter. In this report we aim to review the new findings

that have appeared in recent months.

PMID: 16792535 [PubMed - in process]

_________________________________________________________________

Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!

http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/