For human hepatitis B virus eight distinct and two candidate genotypes are described. These genotypes differ with respect to geographic distribution, molecular virology and virus-associated pathogenesis. Comparative analysis of HBV genotypes revealed, with exception of HBV/G that shows impaired HBsAg release, that no fundamental disparities between genotypes exist regarding glycosylation, subcellular distribution, release of HBsAg and formation of subviral particles. However, there are distinctions regarding the proportion of L to M to S HBs proteins detected intra- and extracellularly for different genotypes. 2D electrophoresis revealed different posttranslational modification patterns for LHBs. In light of the relevance of HBsAg as diagnostic marker, detectability of purified recombinant HBsAg of various genotypes by HBsAg-specific detection systems licensed in Europe was investigated, showing similar sensitivities for genotypes included in this analysis. These data indicate that recombinant HBsAg reproducibly purified following a defined protocol might be used as an alternative to reference materials currently established.
Keywords: Genotypes; HBsAg; Hepatitis B virus; Surface protein.
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