Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 14, 2026

Development of a Hepatitis B Virus Reporter System to Monitor the Early Stages of the Replication Cycle
Published on: February 1, 2017
Unveiling the roles of HBV polymerase for new antiviral strategies
1The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Milton S Hershey Medical Center, PA 17033, USA.
Abstract:
Infection with HBV is common worldwide, with over 350 million chronic carriers. Chronic HBV infection is associated with cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. All currently available oral antivirals are directed against the HBV polymerase enzyme, a reverse transcriptase. HBV polymerase contains several important domains and motifs which define its functions and reveal ways to further target it. This enzyme executes many functions required for the HBV replication cycle, including viral RNA binding, RNA packaging, protein priming, template switching, DNA synthesis and RNA degradation. In addition, HBV polymerase must interact with host proteins for its functions. Future therapeutics may inhibit not only the DNA synthesis steps which are carried out by the reverse transcriptase domain (as all current antivirals do) but other domains, functions and interactions which are essential to the HBV replication cycle.
Related Concept Videos
Viruses with RNA Genomes
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
Retrovirus Life Cycles
Hepatitis

