Effects of cellular membranes and the precore protein on hepatitis B virus core particle assembly and DNA replication

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is an important human pathogen that chronically infects 254 million people in the world. This virus contains a core particle, which plays an important role in the transport and replication of the viral DNA genome. The major protein constituent of this particle is the viral core protein. In this report, we examined how the subcellular compartments and the related precore protein might affect the core particle structure and viral DNA replication. We found that the subcellular localizations could affect the core particle assembly, and membranes and the precore protein could regulate HBV DNA replication. We also found that the inhibition of autophagic degradation increased the precore protein level, suggesting a role of autophagy in the regulation of precore protein activities. These findings provided important information for further understanding the HBV life cycle, which will aid in the development of novel drugs for the treatment of HBV patients.