Journal Article

Genetic Variability in Patients with HCV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Di Fraia, Alessandra, Farella, Nunzia, Pisaturo, Mariantonietta, Starace, Mario, Minichini, Carmine, Iodice, Valentina, Stanzione, Maria, Coppola, Nicola, Occhiello, Laura

2021

Overview

The present paper evaluates the genetic variability of HCV in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Amino acid substitutions (aas) in NS3, NS5A and core regions were analyzed in 17 patients with HCC (Cases) and 13 without HCC (Controls), all naïve to DAAs. For the Cases, a sample of neoplastic liver tissue, non-neoplastic liver tissue and a serum sample were collected; for the Controls, a sample of liver tissue was collected. Sanger sequencing of three regions was performed using homemade protocols. Phylogenetic trees showed that there was no difference in the virus populations in the three compartments analyzed for the three HCV regions in patients with HCC. Low variability and no difference between the Cases and Controls were observed in the core and NS5A regions; however, in the NS3 region, a higher variability was observed in the Cases. No difference was observed in the core region between Cases and Controls. In NS3, aa substitutions at positions 103 and 122 were more frequently found in Cases than Controls (in both cases 50% vs 9.1%, p<0.05); moreover, aas in positions 32, 44 (p=0.035 for both), 79 (p=0.008) and 121 (p=0.018) were observed in the Cases and absent in the Controls. Finally, considering the NS5A region, aa substitutions at positions 37 and 54 were more frequently identified in the Cases than the Controls, but without statistical significance. These data may suggest a higher aa variability in patients with HCC than in those without, especially in the NS3 region.

• Publisher: Dove Medical Press Limited,Taylor & Francis Ltd,Dove Press,Dove,Dove Medical Press
• Subject: aa substitutions / Amino acids / Analysis / Biochemistry / Biopsy / Care and treatment / Cell growth / chronic hepatitis C / chronic infection C / core region / DNA sequencing / Epidemiology / Ethics / Genetic variability / Genotype & phenotype / HCV / Health aspects / Hepatitis B / Hepatitis C / Hepatitis C virus / Hepatocellular carcinoma / Hepatoma / Liver / Liver cancer / Liver diseases / NS3 region / NS5A region / Nucleotide sequencing / Original Research / Oxidative stress / phylogenesis / Phylogenetics / Phylogeny / Standard deviation / Statistical analysis / viral variability