Hepatitis B virus core antigen, surface antigen, and polymerase (HBcAg/HBsAg/Pol)

This target entry represents a composite of three essential proteins of the Hepatitis B virus (HBV): the core antigen (HBcAg), the surface antigen (HBsAg), and the viral polymerase [1, 3]. The HBV polymerase is a multifunctional enzyme with reverse transcriptase activity, responsible for replicating the viral genome and is the primary target of current nucleos(t)ide analog therapies like entecavir and tenofovir [3]. The core antigen forms the viral nucleocapsid, which is critical for genome packaging and is targeted by emerging capsid assembly modulators (CAMs) [1, 5]. The surface antigen constitutes the viral envelope, mediates hepatocyte entry via the NTCP receptor, and serves as a key biomarker for infection and a target for RNA interference and entry inhibitor therapies [1, 7]. Together, these proteins are central to the HBV life cycle and are the focus of multi-pronged therapeutic strategies aimed at achieving a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B [1, 6]. Drugs targeting the polymerase effectively suppress viral replication but rarely eliminate the virus, necessitating the development of agents targeting the core and surface antigens [1, 2]. These proteins also play significant roles in modulating the host immune response and contributing to the persistence of chronic infection [4, 7]. Monitoring these antigens and viral DNA levels is essential for managing disease progression and evaluating treatment efficacy [1, 2].

Other names

HBV proteinsHBV core, surface, and polymerase proteinsHepatitis B virus antigens and polymerase

Inhibition of viral DNA polymerase/reverse transcriptase, modulation of capsid assembly, inhibition of viral entry, and silencing of viral RNA transcripts.