Mehdi Ajorloo1, Taravat Bamdad2, Tayebeh Hashempour3, Amir Mohammad Alborzi4, Sayed Hamid Reza Mozhgani5, Reyhane Asadi6, Arghavan Haj-sheykholeslami6, Shahin Merat7. 1. Department of Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. merat@tums.ac.ir. 2. Department of Virology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. 3. Professor Alborzi Clinical Microbiology Research Center, Nemazee Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. 4. Cellular and Molecular Gerash Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. 5. Department of Virology, Faculty of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 6. Digestive Disease Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 7. Liver and Pancreatobiliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The role of different viral proteins in the progression of the disease to cirrhosis is not completely understood. The ARFP/F protein is a newly described protein synthesized from the +1 or -2 reading frames of the core protein gene, which its function remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to detect specific antibodies to HCV-ARF/Core+1 protein in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients with HCV and investigate any possible association. METHODS: ARF/Core+1 recombinant proteins from HCV genotype 1a were expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we assessed the prevalence of anti-ARF/Core+1 antibodies in 50 cirrhotic and 50 non-cirrhotic hepatitis C patients. RESULTS: All 50 cirrhotic patients were positive for anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody, while only 80% positive samples among non-cirrhotic patients were detected. The titer of anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody was also significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis than in non-cirrhotic patients. CONCLUSION: Compared to 80% positive samples among non-cirrhotic patients all 50 cirrhotic patients were positive for anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody and titer of anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody was significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis than in non-cirrhotic. These results suggest that ARF/Core+1 protein is associated with cirrhosis. A possible causative association between ARF/Core+1 and cirrhosis as well as the mechanism of this association needs to be further investigated.
BACKGROUND: The role of different viral proteins in the progression of the disease to cirrhosis is not completely understood. The ARFP/F protein is a newly described protein synthesized from the +1 or -2 reading frames of the core protein gene, which its function remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to detect specific antibodies to HCV-ARF/Core+1 protein in cirrhotic and non-cirrhoticpatients with HCV and investigate any possible association. METHODS:ARF/Core+1 recombinant proteins from HCV genotype 1a were expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we assessed the prevalence of anti-ARF/Core+1 antibodies in 50 cirrhotic and 50 non-cirrhotic hepatitis Cpatients. RESULTS: All 50 cirrhotic patients were positive for anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody, while only 80% positive samples among non-cirrhoticpatients were detected. The titer of anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody was also significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis than in non-cirrhoticpatients. CONCLUSION: Compared to 80% positive samples among non-cirrhoticpatients all 50 cirrhotic patients were positive for anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody and titer of anti-ARF/Core+1 antibody was significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis than in non-cirrhotic. These results suggest that ARF/Core+1 protein is associated with cirrhosis. A possible causative association between ARF/Core+1 and cirrhosis as well as the mechanism of this association needs to be further investigated.