Protein Structure Predictions, Atomic Model Building, and Validation Using a Cryo-EM Density Map from Hepatitis B Virus Spherical Subviral Particle.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health concern. During chronic infection, the HBV small-surface antigen is expressed in large excess as non-infectious spherical subviral particles (SVPs), which possess strong immunogenicity. To date, attempts at understanding the structure of HBV spherical SVP have been restricted to 12-30 Å with contradictory conclusions regarding its architecture.

Characterization of Intracellular Precore-Derived Proteins and Their Functions in Hepatitis B Virus-Infected Human Hepatocytes.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) precore protein is not essential for viral replication but is thought to facilitate chronic infection. In addition to the secreted precore products, including the hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and PreC protein, intracellular precore-derived proteins in HBV-infected human hepatocytes remain poorly characterized, and their roles, if any, remain largely unknown. Here, we detected multiple precore derivatives, including the nonprocessed precursor p25 and the processing intermediate p22, in HBV-infected human hepatocytes as well as human hepatoma cells overexpressing the HBV precore protein.