Residues Arg703, Asp777, and Arg781 of the RNase H domain of hepatitis B virus polymerase are critical for viral DNA synthesis.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) synthesizes its DNA genome through reverse transcription, which is catalyzed by viral polymerase (Pol). Previous studies suggested that the RNase H domain of hepadnaviral Pol may contribute to multiple steps of the viral genome replication, such as RNA encapsidation and viral DNA synthesis. However, specific residues of the RNase H domain that contribute to viral reverse transcription have not been determined. Therefore, we employed charged-to-alanine scanning mutagenesis to generate a set of single-substitution mutants of the RNase H domain and then analyzed their ability to support viral reverse transcription. Southern blot analysis showed that three mutants (R703A, D777A, and R781A mutants) yielded significantly reduced amounts of viral DNAs. However, none of the

SUBMITTER: Ko C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3911735 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature