Hepatitis B virus small surface antigen messenger RNA (HBV S-HBsAg mRNA)

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) small surface antigen (S-HBsAg) messenger RNA is a critical viral transcript responsible for the synthesis of the small envelope protein of HBV (Source: NCBI, TaxID: 10407). This protein is the primary component of the viral envelope and is also secreted in vast excess as non-infectious subviral particles, which act as an immune decoy to exhaust the host's T-cell response and prevent viral clearance (Source: Journal of Hepatology, PMID: 32535062). Because the HBV genome uses overlapping open reading frames, many therapeutic agents targeting the S-mRNA also effectively reduce other viral transcripts, including those for the Large and Middle surface proteins. Therapeutic strategies targeting this mRNA, such as RNA interference (RNAi) and antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), aim to degrade the transcript and suppress the production of HBsAg (Source: PubMed, PMID: 35705055). By significantly reducing the circulating HBsAg burden, these therapies seek to restore the host's innate and adaptive immune responses, which is considered a prerequisite for achieving a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B (Source: Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, PMID: 36370713). This target is currently a major focus of clinical development in the field of antiviral hepatology.

Other names

HBV S-mRNAHepatitis B virus S-gene transcriptHBsAg mRNAHBV small surface protein mRNAHepatitis B virus surface antigen mRNA

Drugs targeting HBV S-HBsAg mRNA primarily utilize RNA interference (siRNA) to induce sequence-specific cleavage via the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) or antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to trigger RNase H-mediated degradation of the viral transcript (Source: PubMed, PMID: 35705055).