Dynamics of hepatitis B virus morphogenesis and its alterations during chronic infection (23)

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In the serum of patients with chronic hepatitis B one does not only find complete DNA-containing virions, but also virions harbouring “empty” or RNA-containing capsids. The proportion of these forms in chronic carriers varies drastically depending on the intrahepatic viral replication activity and the treatment status. We propose that HBV particles are subject to defined ultrastructural dynamics with a series of thermodynamically driven, temporally and spatially regulated events during particle morphogenesis. This might be key to determining the fate of nucleocapsids in the host cell by deciding between either secretion as enveloped virions or recycling to the nucleus to sustain the pool of viral covalently closed circular DNA, which is the central reservoir for HBV persistence.