Duck hepatitis B virus virion secretion requires a double-stranded DNA genome.
Hepatitis B virus assembly begins with the packaging of an RNA pregenome into intracellular nucleocapsids, with subsequent reverse transcription within these nucleocapsids converting the RNA into a characteristic, partially double-stranded DNA, which, alone, is found in enveloped extracellular virions as the viral genome. Using a synchronized replication system for the duck hepatitis B virus, together with a stringent two-step assay for virion secretion, we demonstrate that this selective genome secretion results from an intrinsic secretion competence gained only by the nucleocapsids at the late stage of reverse transcription.
Perlman
David
D
Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA.
Hu
Jianming
J
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000502:physiology*; D004372:Ducks; D016679:Genome, Viral; D015611:Hepatitis B Virus, Duck / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019251:Nucleocapsid / Q000502:physiology*; D014771:Virion / Q000502:physiology*; D014779:Virus Replication
D004279:DNA, Viral