The Functions of Hepatitis B Virus Encoding Proteins: Viral Persistence and Liver Pathogenesis

About 250 million people worldwide are chronically infected with Hepatitis B virus (HBV), contributing to a large burden on public health. Despite the existence of vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent infection and suppress viral replication respectively, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) cure remains a...

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Published inFrontiers in immunology Vol. 12; p. 691766
Main Authors Zhao, Fenglin, Xie, Xiaoyu, Tan, Xu, Yu, Hongli, Tian, Miaomiao, Lv, Huanran, Qin, Chengyong, Qi, Jianni, Zhu, Qiang
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Frontiers Media S.A 12.08.2021
Subjects
encoding proteins
hepatitis B virus (HBV)
hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
immune response
Immunology
viral escape
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Summary:About 250 million people worldwide are chronically infected with Hepatitis B virus (HBV), contributing to a large burden on public health. Despite the existence of vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent infection and suppress viral replication respectively, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) cure remains a remote treatment goal. The viral persistence caused by HBV is account for the chronic infection which increases the risk for developing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV virion utilizes various strategies to escape surveillance of host immune system therefore enhancing its replication, while the precise mechanisms involved remain elusive. Accumulating evidence suggests that the proteins encoded by HBV (hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B core antigen, hepatitis B envelope antigen, HBx and polymerase) play an important role in viral persistence and liver pathogenesis. This review summarizes the major findings in functions of HBV encoding proteins, illustrating how these proteins affect hepatocytes and the immune system, which may open new venues for CHB therapies.
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Edited by: Masakazu Kamata, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States
Reviewed by: Jing Wen, University of California, Los Angeles, United States; Kyongmin Kim, Ajou University, South Korea
This article was submitted to Viral Immunology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Immunology
ISSN:1664-3224
1664-3224
DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2021.691766