Mutational landscape of the surface antigen of hepatitis B virus in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Mutations within the hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) were found to correlate with progressive liver diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Mutations in this region can impact viral morphogenesis, virus-host interactions, and immune responses. In this cross-sectional study, we screened for mutations in the pre-S/S regions of HBsAg in sequences retrospectively generated from samples collected in Saudi Arabia. We analyzed 304 full-length HBsAg sequences isolated from samples collected from four clinical groups: inactive (n = 180), active (n = 62), liver cirrhosis (LC) (n = 36), and HCC (n = 26). Three mutations (N103D, Q30K, and I208T) in HBsAg showed significantly higher frequencies in the HCC group compared to other clinical groups. Additionally, the presence of the t

SUBMITTER: Bagasi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12182673 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature