Hepatitis B virus X and S open reading frame RNA transcripts (HBV X/S RNA)

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) X and S open reading frame RNA transcripts are essential viral messenger RNAs produced during the HBV life cycle (Source: PubMed, PMID: 32635331). These transcripts encode the Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), which is vital for viral entry and immune evasion, and the X protein (HBx), which is necessary for the initiation and maintenance of viral transcription from covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) (Source: UniProt, P03138). Due to the overlapping nature of the HBV genome, the X and S regions are present in nearly all viral RNA species, including the pregenomic RNA (pgRNA). This makes them an ideal target for sequence-specific therapies such as RNA interference (RNAi) and antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) (Source: NIH, ClinicalTrials.gov). By degrading these transcripts, these drugs can significantly reduce the production of all viral proteins and pregenomic RNA, potentially reversing the immune exhaustion caused by high levels of circulating HBsAg and facilitating a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B (Source: Journal of Hepatology, 2021).

Other names

HBV mRNAHepatitis B virus transcriptsHBV X-S overlapping region RNAHBV pregenomic and subgenomic RNA

Degradation of viral RNA transcripts via RNA interference (RNAi) or RNase H-mediated antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) activity, leading to reduced viral protein production and inhibition of replication.