Comparison of pre-S₁ and pre-S₂ proteins in hepatocytes with replication status by in situ hybridization assay

Abstract

To compare the relationship of pre-S₁ and pre-S₂ proteins in hepatocytes with HBV replication, HBVDNA in situ hybridization was performed for a group of patients with chronic hepatitis by bio-probe, in conjunction with detection of intrahepatic HBsAg, HBcAg, pre-S₁ and-S₂ antigens. It was found that the expression of intrahepatic pre-s₁ and pre-S₂ proteins was visualized as cytoplasmic homogeneous and inclusion types, on some occasions as membranous localization. However, the positive rate for pre-S₁ protein was up to 75% (15/20), being significantly higher than that of pre-S₂ protein (35%; 7/20) in the same group (P<0.05). What in moreimportant, the intrahepatic pre-S₁ expression, rather than pre-s₂, was in parallel with the presence of intrahepatic HBVDNA and HBcAg. All these findings suggest that the pre-S₁ protein might be mainly expressed at the HBV replication phase, thus, to some extent, the detection of pre-S₁ protein might complement HBe system and HBVDNA clinical routine.

Keywords

pre-S gene / pre-S proteins HBV replication / HBV markers / in as a situ hybridization

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