Significance of hepatitis B virus capsid dephosphorylation via polymerase.
J Biomed Sci
; 31(1): 34, 2024 Apr 01.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38561844
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
It is generally believed that hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein (HBc) dephosphorylation (de-P) is important for viral DNA synthesis and virion secretion. HBV polymerase contains four domains for terminal protein, spacer, reverse transcriptase, and RNase H activities.METHODS:
HBV Polymerase mutants were transfected into HuH-7 cells and assayed for replication and HBc de-P by the Phos-tag gel analysis. Infection assay was performed by using a HepG2-NTCP-AS2 cell line.RESULTS:
Here, we show that a novel phosphatase activity responsible for HBc de-P can be mapped to the C-terminal domain of the polymerase overlapping with the RNase H domain. Surprisingly, while HBc de-P is crucial for viral infectivity, it is essential for neither viral DNA synthesis nor virion secretion. The potential origin, significance, and mechanism of this polymerase-associated phosphatase activity are discussed in the context of an electrostatic homeostasis model. The Phos-tag gel analysis revealed an intriguing pattern of "bipolar distribution" of phosphorylated HBc and a de-P HBc doublet.CONCLUSIONS:
It remains unknown if such a polymerase-associated phosphatase activity can be found in other related biosystems. This polymerase-associated phosphatase activity could be a druggable target in clinical therapy for hepatitis B.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Hepatitis B virus
/
Capsid
Language:
En
Journal:
J Biomed Sci
Journal subject:
MEDICINA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Taiwan