title: The duck hepatitis B virus polymerase and core proteins accumulate in different patterns from their common mRNA.
abstract: Hepadnaviral reverse transcription occurs in capsids in which the core (C) protein surrounds the reverse transcriptase (P) and pregenomic RNA (pgRNA). We analyzed the accumulation patterns of duck hepatitis B virus P, C, and pgRNA in transfected LMH cells, infected primary duck hepatocytes (PDH), and infected duck liver. In all three systems, P accumulated over time in a different pattern compared with C, despite translation of both proteins from the pgRNA. Although the accumulation patterns of the proteins varied between the systems, in each case P became detectable at the same time or earlier than C and the ratio of P relative to C dropped with time. These accumulation patterns were consistent with the translation rates and half-lives of P and C. Comparing the translation rates of P and C with the pgRNA level over time revealed that translation of P and C was negatively regulated in LMH cells. These data provide a framework for comparing replication studies performed in LMH cells, PDHs and ducks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, 1402 South Grand Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA.
authors.forename: Ermei
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Heinz
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Tavis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004372:Ducks; D018347:Hepadnaviridae Infections / Q000821:virology; D015611:Hepatitis B Virus, Duck / Q000378:metabolism*; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000821:virology; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000821:virology; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013997:Time Factors; D014162:Transfection; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D012194:RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase