Abstract:

The aim of this work was to describe the current molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of HBV in Mar del Plata, an important Argentinean touristic city. The phylogenetic analysis of 29 HBV DNA positive serum samples showed that F1b was the predominant subgenotype (sgt, 62.1%), followed by sgt A2 (13.8%) and sgt F4, gt D and gt G (6.9% each). Among anti-HBc IgM positive samples, 75.0% were sgt F1b, followed by sgt F4 (12.5%), sgt A2 (6.25%) and sgt D (6.25%). Three recombinant full length genomes were found: two G/F1b (some of the first gt G detected in Argentina) and one F4/D2. The circulation of clinical important mutations in the city was described. Mutations at the HBsAg were detected in 34.5% of the analyzed samples, associated with laboratory diagnosis and antiviral treatment failures, immune escape and hepatocellular carcinoma. Most of the samples presented wild type BCP/PC sequences. Coalescence analysis for the most prevalent sgt F1b estimated that the diversification mainly occured during mid ?90s and the tMRCA was estimated in 1987. Finally, the high presence of the autochthonous sgt F1b, associated with the anti-HBc IgM positive infection and its present-day diversification process, shows the strong impact of internal human migratory movements into the current population of Mar del Plata.

Author affiliation: Barbini, Luciana Fernanda. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina;

Author affiliation: Elizalde, Maria Mercedes. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina;

Author affiliation: Torres, Carolina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina;

Author affiliation: Campos, Rodolfo Hector. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay; Argentina;

Abstract:

The recent history of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) subtypes 1a and 1b in the central region of Argentina is hypothesized by phylogeographic reconstruction using coalescent based Bayesian analyses. Direct partial E2 sequences from HCV 1a and 1b infected patients attending different health-care centers of the country were analyzed. The inferred date of the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) for HCV-1a was: 1962 (between 1943 and 1977) and for HCV-1b was earlier: 1929 (between 1895 and 1953). Diverse ancestral populations were inferred from both subtypes in Córdoba and in Buenos Aires cities and after that, HCV spread within and between larger cities and to other smaller cities. The analyses suggested that HCV-1b was dispersed first and it is currently in a stationary phase whereas HCV-1a was dispersed latter and it is still in a growth phase. Finally, as it was observed in the developed countries, while the transmission of HCV-1b appears to have been somehow prevented, the HCV-1a may still represent a concern in the public health. Further work should be carried out to address their current transmission rate (and its main transmission route) in the Argentinean population.

Author affiliation: Culasso, Andrés Carlos Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina

Author affiliation: Farias, Adrian Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología “Dr. J. M. Vanella”; Argentina

Author affiliation: Di Lello, Federico Alejandro. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina

Author affiliation: Golemba, Marcelo Darío. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina

Author affiliation: Ré, Viviana Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología “Dr. J. M. Vanella”; Argentina

Author affiliation: Barbini, Luciana Fernanda. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina

Author affiliation: Campos, Rodolfo Hector. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina

Abstract:

The recent history of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) subtypes 1a and 1b in the central region of Argentina is hypothesized by phylogeographic reconstruction using coalescent based Bayesian analyses. Direct partial E2 sequences from HCV 1a and 1b infected patients attending different health-care centers of the country were analyzed. The inferred date of the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) for HCV-1a was: 1962 (between 1943 and 1977) and for HCV-1b was earlier: 1929 (between 1895 and 1953). Diverse ancestral populations were inferred from both subtypes in Córdoba and in Buenos Aires cities and after that, HCV spread within and between larger cities and to other smaller cities. The analyses suggested that HCV-1b was dispersed first and it is currently in a stationary phase whereas HCV-1a was dispersed latter and it is still in a growth phase. Finally, as it was observed in the developed countries, while the transmission of HCV-1b appears to have been somehow prevented, the HCV-1a may still represent a concern in the public health. Further work should be carried out to address their current transmission rate (and its main transmission route) in the Argentinean population.

Author affiliation: Culasso, Andrés Carlos Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Author affiliation: Farías, Adrián. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología; Argentina

Author affiliation: Di Lello, Federico Alejandro. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Author affiliation: Golemba, Marcelo Darío. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatria "Juan P. Garrahan". Laboratorio de Biología Celular y Retrovirus; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Author affiliation: Ré, Viviana Elizabeth. Universidad Nacional de Cordoba. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Author affiliation: Barbini, Luciana Fernanda. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Author affiliation: Campos, Rodolfo Hector. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina

Abstract:

The hepatitis B virus X protein (HBV-X) is a multifunctional regulatory protein associated with the pathogenesis of liver disease in chronic HBV infection. Basal core promoter mutations (BCP), associated with the clinical course of chronic HBV infection, affect HBV-X at 130–131 positions. The role of these mutations on HBV-X biological activity remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the presence of different amino acids at 130–131 positions of HBV-X on the biological activity of the protein. Transient expression of wild type and mutant F1b and F4 HBV-X increased cell mortality by the induction of apoptosis in human hepatoma cells. The wild type and mutant HBV-X differentially modulate the expression of pro-apoptotic (Bax) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2 and Bcl-X) regulatory proteins of the Bcl-2 family. Furthermore, the expression of HBV-X variants of both subgenotypes induced autophagy of human tumoral hepatocytes. In conclusion, HBV-X variants of the Latin American HBV F genotype promotes human hepatocytes death by the induction of apoptosis and autophagy. The results of this work describe some of the molecular mechanisms by which HBV-X variants contribute to the pathogenesis of liver diseases in the infected liver and help to the biological characterization of genotype F, responsible of the majority of HBV infections in Argentina.

Author affiliation: Elizalde, Maria Mercedes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología; Argentina

Author affiliation: Campos, Rodolfo Hector. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Microbiología, Inmunología y Biotecnología; Argentina

Author affiliation: Barbini, Luciana Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química; Argentina