Skip to main content
PMC home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1979 Mar;35(3):380–389.

Characterization of 'e' antigen associated with hepatitis B.

R S Tedder, F G Bull
PMCID: PMC1537629  PMID: 110505

Abstract

Hepatitis B 'e' antigen (HBe) from the serum of a chronic carrier of HBsAg has been partially purified and characterized. It behaves as an acidic protein, pI 4.5--5.0, which is thermolabile and sulphydryl-sensitive. In serum it usually has a flotation density 1.3 g/cm3, but is sometimes found at density 1.15 g/cm3 because of its association with lipid. HBe from serum is polydisperse on gel filtration although most antigen is recovered with a nominal molecular weight of 3 x 10(5) Daltons. In contrast, in the presence of chaotropic ions, the bulk of serum HBe is found as a species of 3 X 10(4) Daltons previously detected in small amounts under non-dissociating conditions. This suggests that the larger material is formed by non-covalent association of the 3 X 10(4) Dalton species either with itself or other serum components. This would include IgG, although there is no evidence that HBe itself bears immunoglobulin determinants. Analysis of HBe precipitins by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing and dissociating conditions suggests that its component polypeptide chains are about 1.7 X 10(4) Daltons.

Full text

PDF
382

Images in this article

384FIG. 4a
on p.384
385FIG. 5
on p.385
386FIG. 6
on p.386

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bolton A. E., Hunter W. M. The labelling of proteins to high specific radioactivities by conjugation to a 125I-containing acylating agent. Biochem J. 1973 Jul;133(3):529–539. doi: 10.1042/bj1330529. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bull F. G., Rosendaal M. Macrophage colony development: properties of colony stimulating factors from murine embryo and pregnant uterus. Immunology. 1978 Mar;34(3):479–486. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cappel R., DeCuyper F., Van Beers D. e antigen and antibody, DNA polymerase, and inhibitors of DNA polymerase in acute and chronic hepatitis. J Infect Dis. 1977 Nov;136(5):617–622. doi: 10.1093/infdis/136.5.617. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cayzer I., Dane D. S., Cameron C. H., Denning J. V. A rapid haemagglutination test for hepatitis-B antigen. Lancet. 1974 May 18;1(7864):947–949. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(74)91259-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HUNTER W. M., GREENWOOD F. C. Preparation of iodine-131 labelled human growth hormone of high specific activity. Nature. 1962 May 5;194:495–496. doi: 10.1038/194495a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lam K. C., Tong M. J., Rakela J. Release of e antigen from a Dane particle-rich preparation of hepatitis B virus. Infect Immun. 1977 Apr;16(1):403–404. doi: 10.1128/iai.16.1.403-404.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Magnius L. O., Espmark J. A. New specificities in Australia antigen positive sera distinct from the Le Bouvier determinants. J Immunol. 1972 Nov;109(5):1017–1021. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Magnius L. O., Lindholm A., Lundin P., Iwarson S. A new antigen-antibody system. Clinical significance in long-term carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen. JAMA. 1975 Jan 27;231(4):356–359. doi: 10.1001/jama.231.4.356. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Melnick J. L., Dreesman G. R., Hollinger F. B. Approaching the control of viral hepatitis type B. J Infect Dis. 1976 Feb;133(2):210–229. doi: 10.1093/infdis/133.2.210. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mulder J., Sloots L. C., Verhaar M. A. Molecular heterogeneity effects of IgM immunoglobulins in radial immunodiffusion. J Immunol Methods. 1972 Nov;2(1):89–98. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(72)90021-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Mushahwar I. K., Overby L. R., Frosner G., Deinhardt F., Ling C. M. Prevalence of hepatitis B e antigen and its antibody as detected by radioimmunoassays. J Med Virol. 1978;2(2):77–87. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890020202. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Neurath A. R., Strick N. Host specificity of a serum marker for hepatitis B: evidence that "e antigen" has the properties of an immunoglobulin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Apr;74(4):1702–1706. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.4.1702. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Neurath A. R., Trepo C., Chen M., Prince A. M. Identification of additional antigenic sites on Dane particles and the tubular forms of hepatitis B surface antigen. J Gen Virol. 1976 Mar;30(3):277–285. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-30-3-277. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Okada K., Kamiyama I., Inomata M., Imai M., Miyakawa Y. e antigen and anti-e in the serum of asymptomatic carrier mothers as indicators of positive and negative transmission of hepatitis B virus to their infants. N Engl J Med. 1976 Apr 1;294(14):746–749. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197604012941402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Robinson P. J., Bull F. G., Anderton B. H., Roitt I. M. Direct autoradiographic visualisation in SDS-gels of lectin-binding components of the human erythrocyte membrane. FEBS Lett. 1975 Oct 15;58(1):330–333. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(75)80291-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Takahashi K., Imai M., Tsuda F., Takahashi T., Miyakawa Y. Association of dane particles with e antigen in the serum of asymptomatic carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen. J Immunol. 1976 Jul;117(1):102–105. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Tedder R. S. Testing for e antigen and e antibody by immunodiffusion. J Med Virol. 1978;3(1):51–57. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890030112. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Trepo C. G., Magnius L. O., Schaefer R. A., Prince A. M. Detection of e antigen and antibody: correlations with hapatitis B surface and hepatitis B core antigens, liver disease, and outcome in hepatitis B infections. Gastroenterology. 1976 Nov;71(5):804–808. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Vyas G. N., Peterson D. L., Townsend R. M., Damle S. R., Magnius L. O. Hepatitis B "e" antigen: an apparent association with lactate dehydrogenase isozyme-5. Science. 1977 Dec 9;198(4321):1068–1070. doi: 10.1126/science.73221. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Williams A., Le Bouvier G. Heterogeneity and thermolability of 'e'. Bibl Haematol. 1976;42:71–75. doi: 10.1159/000398996. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES