J H Ou

The basal core promoter (BCP) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) controls the transcription of both the precore RNA and the core RNA. The precore RNA codes for the secreted e antigen, while the core RNA codes for the major core protein and the DNA polymerase and also is the pregenomic RNA. The double mutation of nucleotides 1762 and 1764 in the BCP from A and G to T and A, respectively, is frequently observed in HBV sequences isolated from chronic patients. Several papers have reported conflicting results regarding whether this double mutation is important for e antigen expression. In order to address this issue, we have introduced this double mutation into the HBV genome and studied its effects on HBV gene expression and replication. Our results indicate that the mutated BCP can no longer bind a liver-enriched transcription factor(s) and that the transcription of only precore RNA and, consequently, the expression of e antigen were reduced. The reduction of precore gene expression was accompanied by an increase in progeny virus production. This increase was found to occur at or immediately prior to the encapsidation of the pregenomic RNA. Thus, the results of our in vitro study resolve the discrepancy of previous clinical observations and indicate that this double mutation suppresses but does not abolish the e antigen phenotype. The implications of these findings in the pathogenesis of HBV are discussed.

The core gene of the hepatitis B virus genome contains two conserved in-phase initiation codons separated by about 90 nucleotides. This region ("the precore region") encodes largely hydrophobic amino acids. We have expressed the coding sequence of the core gene with or without the precore region by using a simian virus 40-derived vector in heterologous mammalian cells. The results show that the precore region is not required for the expression either of core antigen (cAg) or of a related hepatitis B virus antigen, the e antigen (eAg). However, the precore region causes the cAg to become associated with cytoplasmic membranes, probably the endoplasmic reticulum. Further, the presence of the precore sequence results in the secretion of eAg. Our results suggest that the precore region plays a role in targeting core proteins to the membrane; this may be the direct cause of eAg secretion and also may aid in the interaction of the core and surface antigens in the formation of the viral particle.

The major hepatitis B virus (HBV) core protein is a viral structural protein involved in nucleic acid binding. Its coding sequence contains an extension of 29 codons (the "precore" region) at the amino terminus of the protein which is present in a fraction of the viral transcripts. This region is evolutionarily conserved among mammalian and avian HBVs, suggesting it has functional importance, although at least for duck HBV it has been shown to be nonessential for replication of infectious virions. Using in vitro assays for protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, we found that the precore region of the HBV genome encodes a signal sequence. This signal sequence was recognized by signal recognition particle, which targeted the nascent precore protein to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane with efficiencies comparable to those of other mammalian secretory proteins. A 19-amino acid signal peptide was removed by signal peptidase on the lumenal side of the microsomal membrane, generating a protein similar to the HBV major core protein, but containing 10 additional amino acids from the precore region at its amino terminus. Surprisingly, we found that 70-80% of this signal peptidase-cleaved product was localized on the cytoplasmic side of the microsomal vesicles and was not associated with the membranes. We conclude that translocation was aborted by an unknown mechanism, then the protein disengaged from the translocation machinery and was released back into the cytoplasm. Thus, a cytoplasmically disposed protein was created whose amino terminus resulted from signal peptidase cleavage. The remaining 20-30% appeared to be completely translocated into the lumen of the microsomes. A deletion mutant lacking the carboxy-terminal nucleic acid binding domain of the precore protein was similarly partitioned between the lumen of the microsomes and the cytoplasmic compartment, indicating that this highly charged domain is not responsible for the aborted translocation. We discuss the implications of our findings for the protein translocation process and suggest a possible role in the virus life cycle.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein is a multifunctional protein. We examined whether it can interact with cellular proteins, thus contributing to viral pathogenesis. Using the HCV core protein as a bait to screen a human liver cDNA library in a yeast two-hybrid screening system, we have isolated several positive clones encoding cellular proteins that interact with the HCV core protein. Interestingly, more than half of these clones encode the cytoplasmic domain of lymphotoxin-beta receptor (LT betaR), which is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family. Their binding was confirmed by in vitro glutathione S-transferase fusion protein binding assay and protein-protein blotting assay to be direct and specific. The binding sites were mapped within a 58-amino-acid region of the cytoplasmic tail of LT betaR. The binding site in the HCV core protein was localized within amino acid residues 36 to 91 from the N terminus, corresponding to the hydrophilic region of the protein. In mammalian cells, the core protein was found to be associated with the membrane-bound LT betaR. Since the LT betaR is involved in germinal center formation and developmental regulation of peripheral lymphoid organs, lymph node development, and apoptotic signaling, the binding of HCV core protein to LT betaR suggests the possibility that this viral protein has an immunomodulating function and may explain the mechanism of viral persistence and pathogenesis of HCV.

Human immunodeficiency virus 1 has been implicated as the main etiologic agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. However, other infectious agents may accelerate the progression of this disease. In particular, hepatitis B virus has been suggested as one such cofactor. Therefore, we have investigated the effects of hepatitis B virus gene products on expression of the human immunodeficiency virus I in transient transfection studies of Jurkat lymphoblastic T cells, using as reporter the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene coupled to the long terminal repeat of human immunodeficiency virus I. As measured by the amount of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity, gene expression directed by the human immunodeficiency virus I long terminal repeat increased approximately 10-fold in response to the hepatitis B virus X protein. This trans-activation by the X protein is multiplicative with the effect of phorbol esters and can be accounted for by an increase in the steady-state level of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase mRNA. Analysis of deletion and clustered point mutants in the long terminal repeat indicated that the X protein exerts its effect through multiple cis-acting sites. These results provide a possible molecular basis for the association of hepatitis B virus and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and confirm that the X protein is a transcriptional transactivator.