Transgenic mice replicating hepatitis B virus but lacking expression of the major HBsAg

✍ Scribed by Leonie Halverscheid; Nina K. Mannes; Robert Weth; Manuela Kleinschmidt; Ursula Schultz; Kurt Reifenberg; Reinhold Schirmbeck; Michael Nassal; Hubert E. Blum; Jörg Reimann; Michael Geissler

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 262 KB
• Volume: 80
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.21115

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) transgenic mice replicating the viral genome at high level but lacking expression of the small envelope protein (HBsAg) have been produced using a terminally redundant viral DNA construct (HBV 1.4). The generation of viable infectious progeny was dependent on sex and age of mice. Viral mRNA was abundant in liver and kidneys and at low levels in other organs of the mice. No viral particles or HBV envelope proteins could be detected in sera of mice. Despite expression of non‐secreted LHBs and MHBs proteins in the liver, there was no accumulation of viral particles in the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes and no necroinflammatory hepatitis was observed. Therefore, these mice represent an excellent model for studies of the role of HBsAg in viral assembly, antiviral immune responses, the further understanding of HBV immunopathogenesis, and the development of antiviral vaccines. J. Med. Virol. 80:583–590, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.