Development of an amplification method for further investigation of HBV S gene variation patterns.

Pre-S/S variants in patients with chronic HBV infection may contribute to the progression of liver damage and Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

This study wasperformed on ten patients with chronic HBV infection. Viral DNA was extracted from patient's plasma, primer design was performed, and a semi-nested PCR method was set up to amplify the pre-S/S region of HBV genome. Subsequently, sequencing was performed to analyze the variants of this region.

In the current study, the semi-nested PCR method was successfully set up, and types of variation in the studied samples were investigated.

Pre-S/S variants should be routinely determined in HBV carriers to help identify individuals who may be at a high risk of less favorable liver disease progression. This study showed that the technique could accurately amplify the pre-S/S region, and the product can be successfully used for variation detection bydirect sequencing.