TY - JOUR
T1 - Molecular characterization of hepatitis B virus X gene in HIV-positive South Africans
AU - Gededzha, Maemu P.
AU - Sondlane, Tsakani H.
AU - Malinga, Lesibana A.
AU - Burnett, Rosemary J.
AU - Lebelo, Ramokone L.
AU - Blackard, Jason T.
AU - Mphahlele, M. Jeffrey
AU - Selabe, Selokela G.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements We thank the staff from the Department of Virology, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, for providing technical assistance. This work was supported by grants from the National Research Foundation and the Poliomyelitis Research Foundation of South Africa.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2018/4/1
Y1 - 2018/4/1
N2 - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem worldwide and the major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in South Africa. The role of HBV in HCC is not well understood, although the HBV X gene has been implicated as a critical factor. Data on the HBV X gene in HIV-positive South Africans are limited; thus, we investigated X gene variability in 24 HIV-infected treatment-naïve patients at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital. Quantitative and qualitative HBV DNA tests were conducted using real-time and in-house polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, respectively, targeting the complete HBV X gene. In-house PCR-positive samples were cloned using the P-Gem T-easy vector System II and sequenced. By phylogenetic analysis, X gene sequences were classified as subgenotype A1 (n = 15), A2 (n = 4), and D1 (n = 4), and one dual infection with subgenotypes as A1 and C. The basal core promoter mutations T1753C, A1762T, and G1764A were identified in the majority of sequences. Genotype D sequences had a 6-nucleotide insertion. In conclusion, subgenotype A1 was predominant, and a rare dual infection of HBV genotype A and C was detected. The 6-nucleotide insertion could represent a unique variant in the region and highlights the need for functional studies of HBV X gene variants, particularly from resource-limited settings.
AB - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem worldwide and the major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in South Africa. The role of HBV in HCC is not well understood, although the HBV X gene has been implicated as a critical factor. Data on the HBV X gene in HIV-positive South Africans are limited; thus, we investigated X gene variability in 24 HIV-infected treatment-naïve patients at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital. Quantitative and qualitative HBV DNA tests were conducted using real-time and in-house polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, respectively, targeting the complete HBV X gene. In-house PCR-positive samples were cloned using the P-Gem T-easy vector System II and sequenced. By phylogenetic analysis, X gene sequences were classified as subgenotype A1 (n = 15), A2 (n = 4), and D1 (n = 4), and one dual infection with subgenotypes as A1 and C. The basal core promoter mutations T1753C, A1762T, and G1764A were identified in the majority of sequences. Genotype D sequences had a 6-nucleotide insertion. In conclusion, subgenotype A1 was predominant, and a rare dual infection of HBV genotype A and C was detected. The 6-nucleotide insertion could represent a unique variant in the region and highlights the need for functional studies of HBV X gene variants, particularly from resource-limited settings.
KW - Africa
KW - Genotype
KW - HBx
KW - HIV
KW - Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
KW - South Africa
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85041602740&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11262-018-1536-5
DO - 10.1007/s11262-018-1536-5
M3 - Article
C2 - 29411271
AN - SCOPUS:85041602740
VL - 54
SP - 190
EP - 198
JO - Virus Genes
JF - Virus Genes
SN - 0920-8569
IS - 2
ER -