Fig 3.

The HBc L60V variation is correlated with ALT levels, viral DNA loads, and disease progression in HBV-infected patients. (A and B) Distribution of serum ALT and AST levels (A) and HBV DNA loads (B) in CHB patients infected with HBV containing HBcL60 or HBcV60. (C) PBMCs were collected from HLA-A2-positive CHB patients with serum ALT levels of >40 IU/liter and were stimulated with the indicated peptides for detection of peptide-specific CTLs by ELISPOT assay. These patients were further divided into two groups by ALT levels: low (Lo) ALT levels (<80 IU/liter) and high (Hi) ALT levels (>80 IU/liter). The HBc82-90 peptide served as a negative control for background evaluation. Student's t test was used to determine P values. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01. (D) Distribution of the rate of the HBcL60V variation in CHB and ACLF patients. Pearson's χ² test was used to determine P values. (E) Correlation between HBV DNA loads and serum ALT levels in CHB patients. Pearson's χ² test was used to determine P values.