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    Encapsidation of truncated human hepatitis b virus genomes through trans-complementation of the core protein and polymerase
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    The principal properties of the DNA polymerases of woodchuck hepatitis virus and human hepatitis B virus were compared. The enzymes of both viruses exhibited optimal activities in the same range of pH, ionic strength, and MgCl2 concentration. Like human hepatitis B virus DNA polymerase, the woodchuck hepatitis virus DNA polymerase was strongly inhibited by phosphonoformic acid but not by phosphonoacetic acid and aphidicolin. Similar inhibition patterns for both enzymes were observed with arabinofuranosyl nucleotides (9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine-5'-triphosphate, 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine-5'-triphosphate, 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylthymine-5'-triphosphate) and dideoxythymidine triphosphate, whereas no effect was obtained with corresponding nucleosides. The therapeutic significance of these results and the relevance of the woodchuck as an experimental animal model for the study of human hepatitis B virus infections are discussed.
    Woodchuck hepatitis virus
    Aphidicolin
    NS2-3 protease
    Viral transformation
    Citations (44)
    Summary Human sera were examined by immunoblotting for antibodies against the polymerase (reverse transcriptase) believed to be encoded in the P open reading frame (ORF) of human hepatitis B virus (HBV). Sera from patients with self-limited and chronic hepatitis reacted specifically with fusion proteins containing different domains of the P ORF. The results indicate that this ORF is expressed, and that the corresponding proteins contain at least two immunogenic domains. In contrast to human immunodeficiency virus, induction of antibodies against reverse transcriptase appears to be less common for HBV, and may depend on long persistence of infection.
    Hepatitis B
    Citations (20)
    To study the replicative efficiency and pathogenicity of hepatitis B virus precore variant (A1896), anti‐hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBe) titre was studied in naturally occurring wild‐type virus infection, A1896 variant infection and dual infection. Higher titre of anti‐HBe was found in patients with no virus replication and in patients coinfected with the wild‐type virus and A1896 variant, which suggest that anti‐HBe may either act as an inhibitor of virus replication or as selective pressure for the A1896 variant. Three site‐directed mutants were constructed in the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) precore region. A frame shift in the encapsidation signal region abolished replication of DHBV; mutation in the initiation codon of the precore and mutation to generate a termination codon at the distal region of the precore resulted in decreased replication in the duck model. More significant pathological changes were found in the liver tissues of ducks infected with the mutant which mimicked the HBV A1896 variant.
    A 5 bp insertion was introduced into the BstEII site at nucleotide 2815 in DNA of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and a mutant HBV genome was produced, which coded for envelope and core proteins, but not for DNA polymerase, due to a frameshift. Cultured hepatoma cells (HepG2) were simultaneously transfected with a plasmid harbouring a tandem dimer of the mutant HBV DNA and another plasmid harbouring a tandem dimer of DNA of woodchuck hepatitis virus or duck hepatitis B virus. The replication of mutant HBV DNA, incapable of encoding DNA polymerase, was accomplished by cotransfecting woodchuck hepatitis virus DNA, but not by duck hepatitis B virus DNA. These results indicated a trans-complementation of the C and P genes in mammalian hepadnaviruses beyond a species barrier.
    Woodchuck hepatitis virus
    Citations (14)
    ABSTRACT A precore-deficient mutant of duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) produced by site-directed mutagenesis was tested for its ability to compete with wild-type virus in a mixed infection of 3-day-old ducklings. The mutation was shown to produce a cis -acting defect, resulting in a replication rate that was about one-half that of wild-type virus. Accordingly, wild-type virus was rapidly selected during the spread of infection. During the chronic phase of the infection, however, two selection patterns were seen. In 4 of 10 ducks, the wild-type virus slowly replaced the precore mutant. In another four ducks, the precore mutant virus slowly replaced the wild-type virus. In the remaining two ducklings, ratios of wild-type and precore mutant virus fluctuated, with wild-type virus slowly predominating. The replacement of wild-type virus was not due to the emergence of a rapidly replicating variant of the precore mutant, since genomes cloned from the infected ducks retained their original replication defect. Replacement of wild-type virus, however, correlated with elevated anti-core antibody titers, which continued to increase with time. The selection of a precore-negative strain of DHBV may be analogous to the selection for precore mutants of HBV during chronic hepatitis in humans.
    Hepatitis B
    Abstract To study the replicative efficiency and pathogenicity of hepatitis B virus precore variant (A1896), anti‐hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBe) titre was studied in naturally occurring wild‐type virus infection, A1896 variant infection and dual infection. Higher titre of anti‐HBe was found in patients with no virus replication and in patients coinfected with the wild‐type virus and A1896 variant, which suggest that anti‐HBe may either act as an inhibitor of virus replication or as selective pressure for the A1896 variant. Three site‐directed mutants were constructed in the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) precore region. A frame shift in the encapsidation signal region abolished replication of DHBV; mutation in the initiation codon of the precore and mutation to generate a termination codon at the distal region of the precore resulted in decreased replication in the duck model. More significant pathological changes were found in the liver tissues of ducks infected with the mutant which mimicked the HBV A1896 variant.
    The carbocyclic analog of deoxyguanosine inhibits hepatitis B virus replication by greater than 95% in the hepatitis B virus-producing cell line (2.2.15) as monitored by decreases of secreted hepatitis B virus DNA, hepatitis B virus polymerase activity and intracellular episomal hepatitis B virus DNA. Transcription of hepatitis B virus RNA from chromosomally integrated hepatitis B virus DNA was unaffected. Radioactive carbocyclic 2'-deoxyguanosine was directly phosphorylated within the 2.2.15 cells and was incorporated exclusively into DNA. In contrast, radioactive deoxyguanosine was presumably metabolized through the "salvage" pathway in which the guanine was primarily incorporated into cellular RNAs. The rate of incorporation of carbocyclic 2'-deoxyguanosine in 2.2.15 cells was similar to that in the parental cell line (HepG2), which does not contain hepatitis B virus sequences. Greater than 90% of the analog was present at internal sites within the DNA, indicating that the analog did not function as a DNA chain terminator. Kinetic analysis of the Km and Ki of dGTP and carbocyclic 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-triphosphate, respectively, using both hepatitis B virus polymerase and DNA polymerase delta indicated that the analog is a competitive inhibitor for dGTP. Although both polymerases had similar Km's for dGTP, the Ki for carbocyclic 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-triphosphate was about 6 times lower using the hepatitis B virus polymerase. This would indicate that, at low concentrations of intracellular carbocyclic 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-triphosphate, the hepatitis B virus polymerase would be preferentially inhibited. We propose this to be the mechanism acting to inhibit preferentially hepatitis B virus replication in the tissue culture cells.
    Deoxyguanosine
    Viral transformation
    Citations (40)