Hepatitis C Hypervariable Region 1: Association of Reduced Selection Pressure in African Americans with Treatment Failure

In a prospective therapeutic trial, features of the hepatitis C quasispecies were investigated as possible markers of therapeutic response. Individuals chronically infected with hepatitis C genotype 1 received antiviral therapy consisting of α-interferon plus ribavirin. The study targeted the most rapidly evolving segment of the viral genome, hypervariable region 1 within the envelope-2 gene. Among individuals failing to clear virus in response to therapy, significant differences were observed between quasispecies of African-American and Caucasian subjects. While distance measures for synonymous substitutions were similar between racial subgroups, measures of distance at the amino acid level (nonsynonymous substitutions) varied significantly. Taken together, the observed patterns of variability corresponded to reduced host selection pressure against hypervariable region 1 in African-American nonresponders. Reduced selection pressure was present at baseline and persisted through treatment and follow-up, suggesting population stratification of host factors that influence selection pressure on hepatitis C virus.