Hepatitis B virus virion

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) virion, also known as the Dane particle, is an enveloped 42 nm particle composed of a lipid envelope with embedded hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg) and an icosahedral nucleocapsid core made of hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg), which contains the partially double-stranded, relaxed-circular viral DNA and a reverse transcriptase/DNA polymerase protein. The virion’s function is to mediate viral entry into hepatocytes, deliver its genome, and initiate infection. Key antigenic components include HBsAg, HBcAg, HBeAg, and accessory regulatory proteins (e.g., HBx). While the virion itself is not a direct therapeutic target, its components (polymerase, core protein, envelope proteins) serve as molecular targets for antiviral drugs and immune therapies[1][2][4][5][6]

Other names

Dane particle

Inhibition of viral reverse transcriptase/DNA polymerase Inhibition of viral entry (e.g., NTCP receptor blocking) Immune modulation