Structural and immunoreactive characteristics of hepatitis B core antigen.

The ultrastructural study of liver tissues from 38 patients with type B viral hepatitis consistently showed the presence of hepatitis B core antigen of 21-25 nm size in the liver cell nuclei and to a lesser extent in the cytoplasm. This finding and the demonstration of the tubular form of hepatitis B surface antigen in the proliferative degranulated endoplasmic reticulum constituted the etiologic criterion for the diagnosis of the disease. The double-shelled Dane-like particles were frequently found in association with the tubular form of the surface antigen. The core particles were found in the protoplasmic processes of hepatocytes and this correlated with the immunofluorescent microscopic findings that the antigen may be shed into circulation with the protoplasm. The core antigen was found to resist digestion by various enzymes such as protease, DNase, RNase, phospholipase C, lipase, lysozyme, diastase, neuraminidase and hyaluronidase, all of which did not destroy the immunoreactivity as demonstrated by immunoelectron and immunofluorescent microscopy. Similarly, sodium dodecyl sulfate, Tween 80 and mercaptoethanol also had no effect. The formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded liver tissue sections could be treated with protease to facilitate the immunofluorescent staining for the core antigen in tissue.