CC BY 4.0 · Semin Liver Dis 2020; 40(02): 143-153
DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3402001
Review Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

NS5A-P32 Deletion in Hepatitis C Genotype 1b Infection is the Most Refractory Treatment-Mediated Amino Acid Change Exhibiting Resistance to all NS5A Inhibitors

Hayato Hikita
1   Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
,
Tetsuo Takehara
1   Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
13 December 2019 (online)

Abstract

NS5A-P32 deletion (P32del) is a resistance-associated amino acid change that has recently gained popularity in direct-acting antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis C. Although not yet detected in naive patients, it appears in 5 to 10% of hepatitis C genotype 1b patients who fail to respond to daclatasvir/asunaprevir and sofosbuvir/ledipasvir treatments. In contrast to signature resistance-associated substitutions, such as substitutions at the NS5A-L31 and NS5A-Y93 positions, it shows complete resistance to all NS5A inhibitors in replicon and cell culture. Studies of humanized liver mice suggest that P32del retains good replication fitness and requires two classes of antivirals, except NS5A inhibitors, to be suppressed effectively. Patients with the P32del virus do not respond to glecaprevir/pibrentasvir but do respond to sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir, presumably to sofosbuvir + glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, and at least partially to sofosbuvir/velpatasvir + ribavirin. Attention should be given to P32del in patients who experience failure with any NS5A inhibitor, especially those with genotype 1b infection.

 
  • References

  • 1 Foster GR, Afdhal N, Roberts SK. , et al; ASTRAL-2 Investigators; ASTRAL-3 Investigators. Sofosbuvir and velpatasvir for HCV genotype 2 and 3 infection. N Engl J Med 2015; 373 (27) 2608-2617
  • 2 Mizokami M, Yokosuka O, Takehara T. , et al. Ledipasvir and sofosbuvir fixed-dose combination with and without ribavirin for 12 weeks in treatment-naive and previously treated Japanese patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C: an open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial. Lancet Infect Dis 2015; 15 (06) 645-653
  • 3 Alqahtani SA, Afdhal N, Zeuzem S. , et al. Safety and tolerability of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir with and without ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection: analysis of phase III ION trials. Hepatology 2015; 62 (01) 25-30
  • 4 Reau N, Robertson MN, Feng HP. , et al. Concomitant proton pump inhibitor use does not reduce the efficacy of elbasvir/grazoprevir: a pooled analysis of 1,322 patients with hepatitis C infection. Hepatol Commun 2017; 1 (08) 757-764
  • 5 Wei L, Jia JD, Wang FS. , et al; C-CORAL Investigators. Efficacy and safety of elbasvir/grazoprevir in participants with hepatitis C virus genotype 1, 4, or 6 infection from the Asia-Pacific region and Russia: final results from the randomized C-CORAL study. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019; 34 (01) 12-21
  • 6 Puoti M, Foster GR, Wang S. , et al. High SVR12 with 8-week and 12-week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir therapy: an integrated analysis of HCV genotype 1-6 patients without cirrhosis. J Hepatol 2018; 69 (02) 293-300
  • 7 Kumada H, Suzuki Y, Karino Y. , et al. The combination of elbasvir and grazoprevir for the treatment of chronic HCV infection in Japanese patients: a randomized phase II/III study. J Gastroenterol 2017; 52 (04) 520-533
  • 8 Naganuma A, Chayama K, Notsumata K. , et al. Integrated analysis of 8-week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in Japanese and overseas patients without cirrhosis and with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 2 infection. J Gastroenterol 2019; 54 (08) 752-761
  • 9 Carrasco I, Arias A, Benítez-Gutiérrez L. , et al. Baseline NS5A resistance associated substitutions may impair DAA response in real-world hepatitis C patients. J Med Virol 2018; 90 (03) 532-536
  • 10 Li DK, Chung RT. Overview of direct-acting antiviral drugs and drug resistance of hepatitis C virus. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1911: 3-32
  • 11 Dietz J, Susser S, Vermehren J. , et al; European HCV Resistance Study Group. Patterns of resistance-associated substitutions in patients with chronic HCV infection following treatment with direct-acting antivirals. Gastroenterology 2018; 154 (04) 976-988.e4
  • 12 Gottwein JM, Pham LV, Mikkelsen LS. , et al. Efficacy of NS5A inhibitors against hepatitis C virus genotypes 1-7 and escape variants. Gastroenterology 2018; 154 (05) 1435-1448
  • 13 Krishnan P, Schnell G, Tripathi R. , et al. Integrated resistance analysis of CERTAIN-1 and CERTAIN-2 studies in hepatitis C virus-infected patients receiving glecaprevir and pibrentasvir in Japan. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018; 62 (02) e02217-17
  • 14 Gao M, Nettles RE, Belema M. , et al. Chemical genetics strategy identifies an HCV NS5A inhibitor with a potent clinical effect. Nature 2010; 465 (7294): 96-100
  • 15 Fridell RA, Qiu D, Wang C, Valera L, Gao M. Resistance analysis of the hepatitis C virus NS5A inhibitor BMS-790052 in an in vitro replicon system. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2010; 54 (09) 3641-3650
  • 16 Fridell RA, Wang C, Sun JH. , et al. Genotypic and phenotypic analysis of variants resistant to hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5A replication complex inhibitor BMS-790052 in humans: in vitro and in vivo correlations. Hepatology 2011; 54 (06) 1924-1935
  • 17 Wang C, Huang H, Valera L. , et al. Hepatitis C virus RNA elimination and development of resistance in replicon cells treated with BMS-790052. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2012; 56 (03) 1350-1358
  • 18 Nettles RE, Gao M, Bifano M. , et al. Multiple ascending dose study of BMS-790052, a nonstructural protein 5A replication complex inhibitor, in patients infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1. Hepatology 2011; 54 (06) 1956-1965
  • 19 Wang C, Sun JH, O'Boyle II DR. , et al. Persistence of resistant variants in hepatitis C virus-infected patients treated with the NS5A replication complex inhibitor daclatasvir. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2013; 57 (05) 2054-2065
  • 20 McPhee F, Hernandez D, Zhou N. , et al. Virological escape in HCV genotype-1-infected patients receiving daclatasvir plus ribavirin and peginterferon alfa-2a or alfa-2b. Antivir Ther 2014; 19 (05) 479-490
  • 21 Uchida Y, Kouyama JI, Naiki K. , et al. Development of rare resistance-associated variants that are extremely tolerant against NS5A inhibitors during daclatasvir/asunaprevir therapy by a two-hit mechanism. Hepatol Res 2016; 46 (12) 1234-1246
  • 22 Kai Y, Hikita H, Morishita N. , et al. Baseline quasispecies selection and novel mutations contribute to emerging resistance-associated substitutions in hepatitis C virus after direct-acting antiviral treatment. Sci Rep 2017; 7: 41660
  • 23 Itakura J, Kurosaki M, Hasebe C. , et al. Complex pattern of resistance-associated substitutions of hepatitis C virus after daclatasvir/asunaprevir treatment failure. PLoS One 2016; 11 (10) e0165339
  • 24 Kobayashi M, Akuta N, Suzuki F. , et al. Treatment efficacy of all-oral combinations of direct-acting antivirals in chronic hepatitis C patients with NS5A–P32 deletion. Kanzo 2017; 58 (12) 671-673
  • 25 Iio E, Shintaro O, Shimada N. , et al. Serial changes of NS5A P32deletion mutant in HCV genotype 1b patients after Daclatasvir/Asunaprevir failure. Kanzo 2018; 59 (04) 230-233
  • 26 Teraoka Y, Uchida T, Imamura M. , et al; Hiroshima Liver Study Group. Prevalence of NS5A resistance associated variants in NS5A inhibitor treatment failures and an effective treatment for NS5A-P32 deleted hepatitis C virus in humanized mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 500 (02) 152-157
  • 27 Doi A, Hikita H, Sakamori R. , et al. Nonstructural protein 5A/P32 deletion after failure of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir in hepatitis C virus genotype 1b infection. Hepatology 2018; 68 (01) 380-383
  • 28 Tellinghuisen TL, Marcotrigiano J, Gorbalenya AE, Rice CM. The NS5A protein of hepatitis C virus is a zinc metalloprotein. J Biol Chem 2004; 279 (47) 48576-48587
  • 29 Tellinghuisen TL, Marcotrigiano J, Rice CM. Structure of the zinc-binding domain of an essential component of the hepatitis C virus replicase. Nature 2005; 435 (7040): 374-379
  • 30 Penin F, Brass V, Appel N. , et al. Structure and function of the membrane anchor domain of hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 5A. J Biol Chem 2004; 279 (39) 40835-40843
  • 31 Ascher DB, Wielens J, Nero TL, Doughty L, Morton CJ, Parker MW. Potent hepatitis C inhibitors bind directly to NS5A and reduce its affinity for RNA. Sci Rep 2014; 4: 4765
  • 32 Knops E, Sierra S, Kalaghatgi P, Heger E, Kaiser R, Kalinina OV. Epistatic interactions in NS5A of hepatitis C virus suggest drug resistance mechanisms. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9 (07) E343
  • 33 Nettles JH, Stanton RA, Broyde J. , et al. Asymmetric binding to NS5A by daclatasvir (BMS-790052) and analogs suggests two novel modes of HCV inhibition. J Med Chem 2014; 57 (23) 10031-10043
  • 34 Yin C, Goonawardane N, Stewart H, Harris M. A role for domain I of the hepatitis C virus NS5A protein in virus assembly. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14 (01) e1006834
  • 35 Friborg J, Zhou N, Han Z. , et al. In vitro assessment of re-treatment options for patients with hepatitis C Virus genotype 1b infection resistant to daclatasvir plus asunaprevir. Infect Dis Ther 2014
  • 36 Dvory-Sobol H, Han B, Lu J. , et al. In vitro resistance profile of hepatitis C virus NS5A inhibitor velpatasvir in genotypes 1 to 6. J Viral Hepat 2019; 26 (08) 991-1001
  • 37 Doi A, Hikita H, Kai Y. , et al. Combinations of two drugs among NS3/4A inhibitors, NS5B inhibitors and non-selective antiviral agents are effective for hepatitis C virus with NS5A-P32 deletion in humanized-liver mice. J Gastroenterol 2019; 54 (05) 449-458
  • 38 Nitta S, Asahina Y, Kato T. , et al. Impact of novel NS5A resistance-associated substitutions of hepatitis C virus detected in treatment-experienced patients. Sci Rep 2019; 9 (01) 5722
  • 39 Nitta S, Asahina Y, Matsuda M. , et al. Effects of resistance-associated NS5A mutations in hepatitis C virus on viral production and susceptibility to antiviral reagents. Sci Rep 2016; 6: 34652
  • 40 Rhim JA, Sandgren EP, Degen JL, Palmiter RD, Brinster RL. Replacement of diseased mouse liver by hepatic cell transplantation. Science 1994; 263 (5150): 1149-1152
  • 41 Azuma H, Paulk N, Ranade A. , et al. Robust expansion of human hepatocytes in Fah-/-/Rag2-/-/Il2rg-/- mice. Nat Biotechnol 2007; 25 (08) 903-910
  • 42 Hasegawa M, Kawai K, Mitsui T. , et al. The reconstituted ‘humanized liver’ in TK-NOG mice is mature and functional. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2011; 405 (03) 405-410
  • 43 Washburn ML, Bility MT, Zhang L. , et al. A humanized mouse model to study hepatitis C virus infection, immune response, and liver disease. Gastroenterology 2011; 140 (04) 1334-1344
  • 44 Tsuge M, Fujimoto Y, Hiraga N. , et al. Hepatitis C virus infection suppresses the interferon response in the liver of the human hepatocyte chimeric mouse. PLoS One 2011; 6 (08) e23856
  • 45 Kai Y, Hikita H, Tatsumi T. , et al. Emergence of hepatitis C virus NS5A L31V plus Y93H variant upon treatment failure of daclatasvir and asunaprevir is relatively resistant to ledipasvir and NS5B polymerase nucleotide inhibitor GS-558093 in human hepatocyte chimeric mice. J Gastroenterol 2015; 50 (11) 1145-1151
  • 46 Kosaka K, Hiraga N, Imamura M. , et al. A novel TK-NOG based humanized mouse model for the study of HBV and HCV infections. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2013; 441 (01) 230-235
  • 47 Meuleman P, Libbrecht L, De Vos R. , et al. Morphological and biochemical characterization of a human liver in a uPA-SCID mouse chimera. Hepatology 2005; 41 (04) 847-856
  • 48 Osawa M, Uchida T, Imamura M. , et al. Efficacy of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir treatment for genotype 1b hepatitis C virus drug resistance-associated variants in humanized mice. J Gen Virol 2019; 100 (07) 1123-1131
  • 49 Akuta N, Sezaki H, Suzuki F. , et al. Ledipasvir plus sofosbuvir as salvage therapy for HCV genotype 1 failures to prior NS5A inhibitors regimens. J Med Virol 2017; 89 (07) 1248-1254
  • 50 Iio E, Shimada N, Takaguchi K. , et al. Clinical evaluation of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 with and without prior daclatasvir/asunaprevir therapy. Hepatol Res 2017; 47 (12) 1308-1316
  • 51 Kumada H, Watanabe T, Suzuki F. , et al. Efficacy and safety of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir in HCV-infected Japanese patients with prior DAA experience, severe renal impairment, or genotype 3 infection. J Gastroenterol 2018; 53 (04) 566-575
  • 52 Sano T, Akuta N, Suzuki F. , et al. Role of NS5A-L31/Y93 double wild-type in failure of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir double therapy in two patients with a history of direct-acting antiviral agent failure: an ultra-deep sequencing analysis. Intern Med 2019; 58 (18) 2657-2662
  • 53 Poordad F, Pol S, Asatryan A. , et al. Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 4 and past direct-acting antiviral treatment failure. Hepatology 2018; 67 (04) 1253-1260
  • 54 Osawa M, Imamura M, Teraoka Y. , et al; Hiroshima Liver Study Group. Real-world efficacy of glecaprevir plus pibrentasvir for chronic hepatitis C patient with previous direct-acting antiviral therapy failures. J Gastroenterol 2019; 54 (03) 291-296
  • 55 Uemura H, Uchida Y, Kouyama JI. , et al. NS5A-P32 deletion as a factor involved in virologic failure in patients receiving glecaprevir and pibrentasvir. J Gastroenterol 2019; 54 (05) 459-470
  • 56 Takaguchi K, Toyoda H, Tsutsui A. , et al. Real-world virological efficacy and safety of daclatasvir/asunaprevir/beclabuvir in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection in Japan. J Gastroenterol 2019; 54 (08) 742-751
  • 57 Suda G, Ogawa K, Yamamoto Y. , et al; NORTE Study Group. Retreatment with sofosbuvir, ledipasvir, and add-on ribavirin for patients who failed daclatasvir and asunaprevir combination therapy. J Gastroenterol 2017; 52 (10) 1122-1129
  • 58 Ikeda H, Watanabe T, Shimizu H. , et al. Efficacy of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir with or without ribavirin for 12 weeks in genotype 1b HCV patients previously treated with a nonstructural protein 5A inhibitor-containing regimen. Hepatol Res 2018; 48 (10) 802-809
  • 59 Izumi N, Takehara T, Chayama K. , et al. Sofosbuvir-velpatasvir plus ribavirin in Japanese patients with genotype 1 or 2 hepatitis C who failed direct-acting antivirals. Hepatol Int 2018; 12 (04) 356-367
  • 60 Bourlière M, Gordon SC, Flamm SL. , et al; POLARIS-1 and POLARIS-4 Investigators. Sofosbuvir, velpatasvir, and voxilaprevir for previously treated HCV infection. N Engl J Med 2017; 376 (22) 2134-2146
  • 61 Sarrazin C, Cooper CL, Manns MP. , et al. No impact of resistance-associated substitutions on the efficacy of sofosbuvir, velpatasvir, and voxilaprevir for 12 weeks in HCV DAA-experienced patients. J Hepatol 2018; 69 (06) 1221-1230
  • 62 AASLD-IDSA HCV Guidance Panel. Hepatitis C guidance 2018 update: AASLD-IDSA recommendations for testing, managing, and treating hepatitis C virus infection. Clin Infect Dis 2018; 67 (10) 1477-1492
  • 63 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Electronic address: easloffice@easloffice.eu; European Association for the Study of the Liver. EASL Recommendations on Treatment of Hepatitis C 2018. J Hepatol 2018; 69 (02) 461-511
  • 64 Shah SR, Chowdhury A, Mehta R. , et al. Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 3 infection in India. J Viral Hepat 2017; 24 (05) 371-379
  • 65 Wei L, Xie Q, Hou JL. , et al. Sofosbuvir plus ribavirin with or without peginterferon for the treatment of hepatitis C virus: results from a phase 3b study in China. J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018; 33 (06) 1168-1176
  • 66 Martinello M, Grebely J, Petoumenos K. , et al. HCV reinfection incidence among individuals treated for recent infection. J Viral Hepat 2017; 24 (05) 359-370
  • 67 Rossi C, Butt ZA, Wong S. , et al; BC Hepatitis Testers Cohort Team. Hepatitis C virus reinfection after successful treatment with direct-acting antiviral therapy in a large population-based cohort. J Hepatol 2018; 69 (05) 1007-1014