Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019163 (hepatitis B)
 38,309 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Hepatitis B virus DNA polymerase is a viral enzyme that can use viral DNA as well as viral RNA as a template for DNA synthesis. Since both activities are essential for the production of new virus particles, blocking of this enzyme should reduce viral replication. In the present study the in vitro effect of zidovudine triphosphate on hepatitis B virus DNA polymerase activity and the in vivo effect of zidovudine on viral replication in chronic HBsAg-positive patients are investigated. Zidovudine triphosphate inhibited in vitro DNA polymerase activity by 50% at a concentration of 0.3 microM. Serum DNA polymerase activity was significantly reduced in 7 patients who received zidovudine (200 mg orally 4 times daily) for one week. A dose-response effect was suggested by the results found for 6 patients who received 100 mg, 200 mg and 300 mg orally 4 times daily for one week with 2 drug-free weeks between each course. We conclude that zidovudine may be of value for non-responders to alpha-interferon therapy or patients with high initial levels of viral replication prior to the start of interferon treatment.
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PMID:Zidovudine inhibits hepatitis B virus replication. 144 23

The 2'-fluorinated arabinosyl-pyrimidine nucleosides, 1-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-iodocytosine (FIAC) and 1-(2'-deoxy-2'-fluoro-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-methyluracil (FMAU), are new antiviral compounds with in vitro inhibitory activity against the DNA polymerase of hepadnaviruses. Those compounds also induced permanent inhibition of viral replication in woodchucks chronically infected by woodchuck hepatitis virus. The effects of these antiviral compounds were assessed in ducks chronically infected by duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV). Following intraperitoneal administration for 5 days, FMAU (2 mg/kg/day) and FIAC (10 mg/kg/day) induced a transient decrease in DHBV replication, as shown by the decrease in both the serum and liver DHBV DNA level. After stopping therapy, DHBV replication rebounded immediately to the pretreatment level. The supercoiled form of liver viral DNA was found to be less affected by the therapy. By contrast, no obvious antiviral effect was observed with vidarabine monophosphate (ara-AMP) (80 mg/kg/day) therapy. No sign of toxicity was observed during the course of the treatment. These preliminary results confirmed in the DHBV model the higher efficacy of FIAC and FMAU as compared to ara-AMP. Pharmacokinetic studies are needed to explain the differences observed in viral replication in these 2 models of HBV infection.
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PMID:Effects of 2'-fluorinated arabinosyl-pyrimidine nucleosides on duck hepatitis B virus DNA level in serum and liver of chronically infected ducks. 162 11

We assessed the prevalence and clinical significance of antibodies to hepatitis C virus among a cohort of 148 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Sixteen patients (11%) had anti-hepatitis C virus detectable by enzyme-linked immunoassay. The results from eight of these patients were positive by recombinant immunoblot assay. The results of recombinant immunoblot assay testing were not consistent; therefore the analysis of the patients' data was based on anti-hepatitis C virus enzyme-linked immunoassay results. Patients with chronic hepatitis B with anti-hepatitis C virus were more likely to be cirrhotic (44% vs. 21%) and to have decompensated liver disease (24% vs. 6%). Hepatitis B virus replication appeared to be suppressed in patients with both infections as measured by hepatitis B virus-associated DNA polymerase activity (mean = 2,055 vs. 2,555 cpm). Human immunodeficiency virus infection was more common in the anti-hepatitis C virus positive group (36% vs. 11%). Thus hepatitis C virus appears to suppress hepatitis B virus replication and to cause more severe liver disease in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.
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PMID:The significance of antibody to hepatitis C virus in patients with chronic hepatitis B. 164 40

We have adopted the in vitro hepatocyte culture system of the duck infected with duck hepatitis B virus (HDBV) to an anti-viral assay system. Using this method, we found that 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-azidothymidine (N3dT) and 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-O-methylthymidine (OMeT) had antiviral effects against DHBV replication in the concentrations of 20-50 mumol/l and 4-40 mumol/l, respectively. The N3dT inhibited the single strand DNA formation (negative strand), which is an intermediate of virus replication. However, the inhibition of single strand DNA synthesis by OMeT was relatively weak. These two compounds may have different mechanisms of DHBV DNA replication inhibition. Two other 3'-substituted pyrimidine analogues tested were very weak inhibitors. Antiviral agents that inhibit the reverse transcriptase activity of the hepadnavirus DNA polymerase could be potential candidates for the chemotherapy of these viruses.
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PMID:Inhibition of duck hepatitis B virus replication in vitro by 2',3'-dideoxy-3'-azidothymidine and related compounds. 168 76

S-Antigen (S-Ag) is a well characterized 45,000 m.w. photoreceptor cell protein. When injected into susceptible animal species, including primates, it induces an experimental autoimmune uveitis, a predominantly T cell-mediated autoimmune disease of the retina and uveal tract of the eye, and of the pineal gland. In this study we found an amino acid sequence homology between a uveitopathogenic site of S-Ag, several viral proteins and one additional nonviral protein. An experimental autoimmune uveitis and pinealitis was induced in Lewis rats with these different synthetic peptides, corresponding to the amino sequence of hepatitis B virus DNA polymerase, gag-pol polyprotein of Baboon endogenous virus and gag-pol polyprotein of AKV murine leukemia virus and potato proteinase inhibitor IIa, which contain three or more consecutive amino acids identical to peptide M in S-Ag. Lymph node cells from rats immunized with either peptide M or the different synthetic peptides showed a significant degree of cross-reaction. Mononuclear cells from monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) immunized with peptide M also showed significant proliferation when incubated with either peptide M or synthetic peptides as measured by in vitro lymphocyte mitogenesis assay using [3H]TdR. Based on our findings we conclude that a viral infection may sensitize the mononuclear cells that can cross-react with self proteins by a mechanism termed molecular mimicry. Tissue injury from the resultant autoantigenic event can take place in the absence of the infectious virus that initiated the immune response.
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PMID:Molecular mimicry between a uveitopathogenic site of S-antigen and viral peptides. Induction of experimental autoimmune uveitis in Lewis rats. 168 49

All reactions involving reverse transcription of RNA are segregated from the cytosol within a subviral particle or capsid composed of the major capsid protein, the polymerase and the RNA template. A key step in the formation of these particles is the selective encapsidation of the RNA template. Although an important general feature of the reverse transcription pathway, encapsidation has been carefully studied only for retroviruses. We have now examined the encapsidation reaction in a family of enveloped DNA viruses that replicate by reverse transcription--the hepatitis B viruses (hepadnaviruses). Our results indicate that the hepadnaviral polymerase (P) gene product is required for RNA packaging, and that the encapsidation function of the enzyme can be separated from its DNA polymerase activity. To our knowledge, this is the first description of a role for polymerase gene products in this step of the reverse transcription pathway.
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PMID:Polymerase gene products of hepatitis B viruses are required for genomic RNA packaging as wel as for reverse transcription. 169 Aug 62

We characterized 11 DNA polymerase mutants of human hepatitis B virus (HBV) which contain single missense or nonsense mutations in the various domains within this gene. Except for mutant 738, a tight association between DNA replication and RNA packaging of these missense pol mutants was observed. Further analysis of HBV core particle-associated RNA indicated that only the 3.5-kb core-specific RNA, but not the precore-specific RNA, is selectively packaged in this tissue culture system. Previously, we have demonstrated that only the 3.5-kb core-specific RNA can serve as an efficient template for pol translation. Taken together, our results suggest that selectivity of HBV RNA packaging occurs as a result of selective translation of pol-containing mRNAs. Furthermore, our data suggest that the RNA encapsidation domain of pol overlaps with all of the domains of pol involved in the synthesis of terminal protein, as well as DNA replication. Finally, on the basis of gradient centrifugation analysis, a pol defect appeared to have no negative effect on the assembly or stability of core particles. A new method to assay RNA encapsidation, as well as potential RNase H activity, is reported.
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PMID:Pregenomic RNA encapsidation analysis of eleven missense and nonsense polymerase mutants of human hepatitis B virus. 171 Feb 85

The presence of pre-S1 proteins in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples from 115 patients with different forms of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was investigated by Western blot. Among 67 chronic HBsAg carriers, HBV antigens were detected in the PBMC in 80% for HBsAg, 27% for HBc/e Ag and 34% for pre-S1 proteins. The detection of pre-S1 proteins in PBMC was significantly associated with the presence of serum markers of HBV replication (HBV DNA and/or DNA polymerase). In the group of 48 consecutive patients negative for serum HBsAg, but positive for anti-HBc with or without anti-HBs, HBsAg and pre-S1 proteins could be detected in PBMC. This finding was more frequent among anti-HIV-positive patients (77 and 23% of the cases, respectively) than in the negative ones (23 and 4% of the cases, respectively). The detection of HBV DNA and polyadenylated RNA in some of the PBMC samples positive for HBV proteins suggests that these proteins may be expressed in PBMC, especially during intense HBV replication. In patients negative for serum HBsAg, PBMC may constitute a reservoir of HBV.
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PMID:Detection of pre-S1 proteins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with HBV infection. 171 Oct 65

Among 262 inpatients with hematologic diseases who were referred for chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy between January, 1985, and December, 1989, nine (3.4%) patients, including two with Hodgkin's disease (HD), three with acute myeloblastic leukemia, one with chronic myelogenous leukemia, two with multiple myeloma and one with aplastic anemia, were found to be hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers before their chemotherapy began. All six HBV carriers who received chemotherapy containing glucocorticoid showed mild-to-moderate elevations in serum transaminase levels after the chemotherapy. Five showed a rise in titer of the hepatitis B surface antigen, HBsAg. In contrast, three HBV carriers not receiving glucocorticoid showed no change in serum transaminase after chemotherapy. One HBV carrier with HD suffered from severe icteric hepatitis after the withdrawal of multiagent chemotherapy containing glucocorticoid. The HBV-DNA polymerase rose markedly and was accompanied by a marked rise in titer of HBsAg. The results warn us to keep in mind the possibility of glucocorticoid inducing an activation of HBV infection, which may result in severe hepatitis in some HBV carriers. Although further investigation is required, it is recommended that HBsAg-positive patients with hematologic malignancies should, if possible, be treated without glucocorticoid.
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PMID:Activation of hepatitis B virus infection by chemotherapy containing glucocorticoid in hepatitis B virus carriers with hematologic malignancies. 175 16

Seventeen patients with chronic hepatitis B were treated with a 4-week administration of glycyrrhizin followed by a 4-week treatment with human lymphoblastoid interferon, then followed for 6 months after the end of treatment. All were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), and hepatitis B virus-associated DNA polymerase (DNA-p) for at least 6 months before entry. All patients were Japanese and none of them were homosexuals. Eleven patients lost DNA-p activity and 10 of them lost HBeAg. Three of these 10 patients had antibody to HBeAg. In 10 patients who became HBeAg-negative, alanine aminotransferase levels after glycyrrhizin administration were higher and initial DNA-p activities relatively lower than the levels found in seven patients who remained HBeAg-positive. The immunomodulator provided by a short course of glycyrrhizin before administration of human lymphoblastoid interferon may be an effective treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B.
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PMID:Glycyrrhizin withdrawal followed by human lymphoblastoid interferon in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B. 176 47


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