Background and Aims: HDV is a defective satellite virus and classified in genus Deltavirus. Its disease is related and limited to HBV-infected patients. Acute infection of delta agent occurs in two different patterns simultaneous infection with both HBV & HDV or super infection of chronically HBV infected patients that lead to more sever type of hepatitis. According to genetic diversity of geno...

The La protein is a multifunctional RNA-binding protein and has also been suggested to be involved in the stabilization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA. Here we demonstrate that antibodies against the human La protein specifically precipitate HBV RNA from HBV ribonucleoprotein-containing mammalian cell extracts, providing evidence for the association between human La and HBV RNA. Moreover, we re...

BACKGROUND Treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) suppresses hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA production but does not affect the synthesis of the RNA pregenome or HBV messenger RNA. Whether HBV RNA-containing particles continue to be secreted into the bloodstream remains controversial. METHODS We developed a sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR)...

Background & AimsHBsAg proteins are useful to identify HBV inactive carriers (ICs), but data on chronic hepatitis D (CHD) scarce. This study aimed describe HBsAg composition in CHD, its changes during the evolution and potential association with clinical outcomes. Besides, we assess of across different genotype validate previous results an independent cohort.MethodsQuantitative (qHBsAg), medium...

BACKGROUND Serum HBV RNA is detectable during nucleoside/nucleotide analogue therapy as a result of unaffected RNA replicative intermediates or interrupted reverse transcription. We studied the predictive value of serum HBV RNA for initial virological response during nucleoside analogue therapy. METHODS Serum HBV RNA was quantified before and at 12 and 24 weeks of lamivudine or entecavir ther...

Background & Aims HBV genotype G (HBV/G) is mainly found in co-infections with other genotypes and was identified as an independent risk factor for liver fibrosis. This study aimed to analyse the prevalence of HBV/G healthy European carriers characterize crosstalk genotypes. Methods A total 560 were tested via HBV/G-specific PCR co-infections. Quasispecies distribution analysed deep sequencing,...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replicates its DNA genome through reverse transcription of a viral RNA pregenome. We report herein that the interferon (IFN) stimulated exoribonuclease gene of 20 KD (ISG20) inhibits HBV replication through degradation of HBV RNA. ISG20 expression was observed at basal level and was highly upregulated upon IFN treatment in hepatocytes, and knock down of ISG20 resulted in...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) barely induces host interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs), which allows efficient HBV replication in the immortalized mouse hepatocytes as per human hepatocytes. Here we found that transfection of Isg20 plasmid robustly inhibits the HBV replication in HBV-infected hepatocytes irrespective of IRF3 or IFN promoter activation. Transfection of Isg20 is thus effective to e...

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein serves multiple essential functions in the viral life cycle, and antiviral agents that target the core protein are being developed. Capsid assembly modulators (CAMs) are compounds that target core and misdirect capsid assembly, resulting in the suppression of HBV replication and virion production. Besides HBV DNA, circulating HBV RNA has been detected in...