AU - Hashempour, T AU - Ajorloo, M AU - Bamdad, T AU - Merat, S AU - Zaer-Rezaee, H AU - Fakharzadeh, E AU - Asadi, R AU - Zamini, H AU - Teimouri, AA TI - Development of a Recombinant Based ELISA using Specific Antibodies to F Protein in HCV Chronically Infected Patients-A Seroprevalence Study PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE TA - virusj JN - virusj VO - 4 VI - 1 IP - 1 4099 - http://journal.isv.org.ir/article-1-46-en.html 4100 - http://journal.isv.org.ir/article-1-46-en.pdf SO - virusj 1 ABĀ  - Background and Aims: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) F protein is a recently described, frameshift product of HCV core encoding sequence. Its function and antigenic properties are unknown. In order to assess the presence of antibodies specific for F protein we characterized specific anti-F antibodies in patients with chronic HCV infection. Methods: The F protein was cloned from the HCV genome. The recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by immunoaffinity chromatography. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed using the purified recombinant HCV F protein. Results: Serum samples were collected from 72 patients with chronic HCV infection and from 30 healthy controls. Eighty-two percent of chronic HCV patients had evidence of anti-F antibodies. 59 samples out of the 72 HCV infected patients exhibited a positive anti-F reaction, showing significant difference from the controls with no HCV infection (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Based on these findings, HCV F protein elicits a specific antibody response, so frameshift could occur in the core-coding sequence in HCV genotype 1a in Iranian patients. As the first report, the prevalence of anti-F antibodies in chronic hepatitis C in Iran is of the order of 82%. CP - IRAN IN - LG - eng PB - virusj PG - 1 PT - Original article YR - 2010