Structure and expression of the hepatitis B virus genome

✍ Scribed by Marie-Louise Michel; Dr. Pierre Tiollais

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 327 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840070711

✦ Synopsis

DNA recombinant technology has radically changed hepatitis B virus (HBV) virology. The genetic organization, the transcription and the replication of the virus are basically understood, structures of integrated HBV sequences in hepatocellular carcinoma have been characterized and new vaccines produced by recombinant DNA techniques are now available ( 1 1.

The HBV genome has an unusual and characteristic structure (Figure 1). It is a small circular, partly doublestranded DNA molecule with a single stranded DNA region of variable length. The long or L(-) strand is linear and of a fixed length of about 3,200 nucleotides.

The short or S(+) strand is of variable length ranging from 50 to 100% of that of the L(-) strand. The maintenance of the circular structure of the genome is assured by base-pairing of the 5' ends of the two strands. Interestingly, at both sides of the cohesives ends, there is a 11 bp direct repeat 5'TTCACCTCTGC.