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Serological Evidence for Expression of the Polymerase Gene of Human Hepatitis B Virus in vivo

¹ Max Planck Institut für Biochemie, Am Klopferspitz, 8033 Martinsried bei München
² Institut für Virusforschung, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 6900 Heidelberg
and³ Institut für Medizinische Virologie, Im Neuenheimer Feld 324, 6900 Heidelberg, F.R.G.

Human sera were examined by immunoblotting for antibodies against the polymerase (reverse transcriptase) believed to be encoded in the P open reading frame (ORF) of human hepatitis B virus (HBV). Sera from patients with self-limited and chronic hepatitis reacted specifically with fusion proteins containing different domains of the P ORF. The results indicate that this ORF is expressed, and that the corresponding proteins contain at least two immunogenic domains. In contrast to human immunodeficiency virus, induction of antibodies against reverse transcriptase appears to be less common for HBV, and may depend on long persistence of infection.

Keywords: hepatitis B virus, polymerase gene, expression in vivo

Received 30 July 1987; accepted 23 November 1987.

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