Evaluation of cross-reactive antibody response to HVR1 in chronic hepatitis C

Table 1 Percentages of amino acid sequence variation in 16 selected hypervariable region 1 (%)

	Percentages of amino acid sequence variation
	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
1	51.9	40.7	29.6	48.1	40.7	40.7	44.4	40.7	29.6	40.7	70.4	59.3	48.1	48.1	37.0
2	-	44.4	51.9	51.9	55.6	66.7	44.4	44.4	51.9	48.1	63.0	59.3	40.7	48.1	44.4
3		-	33.3	51.9	66.7	59.3	51.9	48.1	40.7	55.6	55.6	63.0	55.6	37.0	33.3
4			-	44.4	48.1	37.0	51.9	37.0	44.4	48.1	66.7	59.3	44.4	51.9	44.4
5				-	44.4	70.4	37.0	33.3	40.7	51.9	59.3	59.3	33.3	55.6	44.4
6					-	59.3	55.6	40.7	51.9	51.9	74.0	59.3	40.7	66.7	51.9
7						-	59.3	55.6	59.3	55.6	63.0	48.1	63.0	51.9	59.3
8							-	48.1	40.7	59.3	63.0	55.6	44.4	40.7	48.1
9								-	51.9	66.7	44.4	48.1	29.6	51.9	51.9
10									-	48.1	51.9	66.7	48.1	48.1	51.9
11										-	63.0	51.9	51.9	66.7	44.4
12											-	66.7	66.7	66.7	55.6
13												-	55.6	63.0	66.7
14													-	44.4	51.9
15														-	48.1

The Percentages of amino acid sequence variation are based upon manual calculation. Symbols for the hepatitis C virus isolates are the same as those of Figure 1.

Table 2 Basal features and cross-reactivity of hypervariable region 1 antibodies determined by cross-reactivity chip in patients with genotype 1b hepatitis C virus chronic infection according to the severity of the underlying liver diseases

	Mild (n = 23)	Moderate (n = 18)	Hepatic cirrhosis (n = 16)
Age (yr)	44.5 ± 7.3	47.2 ± 10.8	45.4 ± 8.0
Time of infection	16.2 ± 4.3	18.1 ± 4.3	17.8 ± 5.7
Sex (M/F)	9/14	7/11	11/5
ALT	42.3 ± 48.1	39.4 ± 43.2	94.1 ± 167.6
HCV-RNA (copes × 103)	2189 ± 4562	4153 ± 11564	1582 ± 1676
Cross-reactivity	3.09 ± 2.68ad	5.44 ± 3.93	7.44 ± 3.90
Positive for anti-HVR1	21	18	16

Quantitative data are expressed as mean ± SD. The value of cross-reactivity of hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) antibodies is determined by the number of representative HVR1 proteins reacted with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) sera.

^aP < 0.05 vs patients with moderate hepatitis;

^dP < 0.01 vs patients with liver cirrhosis. ALT: Alanine transaminase.