title: Replication of the genome of a hepatitis B--like virus by reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate.
abstract: Duck hepatitis B virus, a DNA virus closely related to human hepatitis B virus, was studied in infected duck liver. Subviral particles resembling the viral nucleocapsid cores were isolated from persistently infected liver and shown to have a DNA polymerase activity that utilizes an endogenous template and synthesizes both plus- and minus-strand viral DNA. Synthesis of the viral minus-strand DNA utilized an RNA template that was degraded as it was copied. Viral plus-strand synthesis occurred on the completed minus-strand DNA. A pathway for the replication of the DNA genome of hepatitis B-like viruses by reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate is proposed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000502:physiology; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases / Q000494:pharmacology; D004372:Ducks; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000502:physiology*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000502:physiology; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism*; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000494:pharmacology; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral; D003609:Dactinomycin; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases; D012260:Ribonucleases