Mapping of 5' ends of virion-derived HBV DNA.

Mapping of the 5' ends of virion-derived hepatitis B virus DNA molecules was carried out after cloning and sequencing linearized genomes made fully double stranded. Of five clones obtained, three of four minus strand termini mapped to the G in position 1826 and one to the T in position 1827. Plus strand 5' ends were more heterogeneous with evidence from one clone for the presence of an RNA-translocated primer from the 5' end of pregenomic RNA as well as two other termini, mapped to positions 1599 and 1601, the second 3' nucleotide of DR2 and the first nucleotide 3' to DR2, respectively. These molecules were also shown to be functional templates for expression of HBcAg after tranfection or microinjection of Huh-7 human hepatoma cells.