Effect of variation in the common 'a' determinant on the antigenicity of hepatitis B surface antigen

Siamak Seddigh-Tonekaboni, Jennifer A. Waters, Sarah Jeffers, Ralph Gehrke, Beatus Ofenloch, Andrea Horsch, Georg Hess, Howard C. Thomas, Peter Karayiannis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Antibody to the common 'a' determinant of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) protects against infection with hepatitis B virus. A number of variant surface antigens with amino acid substitutions within the 'a' determinant have been described in patients around the world. Both wild type and variant HBsAgs were expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris and the antigens were semi-purified and quantitated. The effect on antigenicity of these changes was investigated in a quantitative fashion using four monoclonal antibodies known to bind to different epitopes within the common 'a' determinant. The results suggest that amino acid substitution of T1311, K141E and G145R and insertion of 3 amino acids between residues 123 and 124 markedly affect the antigenic structure of HBsAg. These substitutions and insertions in the viral envelope may lead to evasion of the virus neutralizing antibody response and also to reduce efficiency of detection by immunoassays used for diagnosis and blood-bank screening.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)113-121
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Medical Virology
Volume60
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2000

Keywords

  • Diagnosis
  • Immunoassays
  • Variant hepatitis B virus

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