CpAMs induce assembly of HBV capsids with altered electrophoresis mobility: Implications for mechanism of inhibiting pgRNA packaging.

ABSTRACT: Native agarose gel electrophoresis-based particle gel assay has been commonly used for examination of hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsid assembly and pregenomic RNA encapsidation in HBV replicating cells. Interestingly, treatment of cells with several chemotypes of HBV core protein allosteric modulators (CpAMs) induced the assembly of both empty and DNA-containing capsids with faster electrophoresis mobility. In an effort to determine the physical basis of CpAM-induced capsid mobility shift, we found that the surface charge, but not the size, of capsids is the primary determinant of electrophoresis mobility. Specifically, through alanine scanning mutagenesis analysis of twenty-seven charged amino acids in core protein assembly domain and hinge region, we showed that except for K7 and E8, subst

SUBMITTER: Wu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8034245 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature