Cytoplasmic localization of hepatitis B core antigen in hepatitis B virus infected livers

Keimyung Medical Journal 1989;8(1):97-103.

Hepatitis B Core Antigen의 간세포내 분포 양상에 대한 연구

이상숙; 장은숙; 정재홍

Abstract

Routine use of commercially available antisera against hepatitis B core antigen(HBcAg) obtained from Escherichia coli transfected with HBV-DNA; has permitted a re-evaluation of the histochemical distribution of the hepatitis B core antigen in liver tissue. HBcAg; classically described almost exclusively in the nucleus; was found with a high frequency in the cytoplasm of liver cells. Our data indicates; however; that formalin fixation and paraffin embedding destroy most of HBcAg antigenicity. With protease digestion; most of the masked HBcAg antigenicity could be recovered. HBcAg was found in 41/58(70.7%) of HBsAg/HBeAg positive subjects; and in 13/16(82.3%) of HBa^/ anti-HBe positive subjects; in both groups the cytoplasmic expression including nuclear/cytoplasmic localization of the antigen was predominant( 94.4%).