title: Out-of-frame versus in-frame core internal deletion variants of human and woodchuck hepatitis B viruses.
abstract: Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) variants containing in-frame core internal deletion (CID) have been demonstrated to contain all the functional features of defective interfering (DI) particles (Yuan, T. T.-T., M.-H. Lin, D. S. Chen, and C. Shih, 1998, J. Virol. 72, 578-584). Here, we report that out-of-frame HBV CID variants exhibit defective interfering property similar to in-frame CID variants characterized previously. This result raises the possibility that it may be the deleted pregenomic RNA product, rather than the deleted core protein product, that is responsible for interference. Furthermore, a genomic deletion elsewhere does not cause interference since preS2 deletion variants exhibit no influence on wild-type HBV replication. Consistent with the natural occurrence of HBV CID variants, we recently identified CID variants of woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) in natural infection. However, unlike HBV CID variants, functional characterization of WHV CID variants using a human hepatoma cell line has not revealed any interference in tissue culture. In summary, defective interference is a general phenomenon for both in-frame and out-of-frame HBV CID variants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-0609, USA.
authors.forename: Gautam Kumar
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Sahu
authors.forename: Pei-Ching
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Tai
authors.forename: Soma Banerjee
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: Min-Hui
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Bud
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tennant
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerin
authors.forename: Chiaho
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shih
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003673:Defective Viruses; D017353:Gene Deletion; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D017919:Hepatitis B Virus, Woodchuck / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008392:Marmota; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens