Proteolytic conversion of hepatitis B virus e antigen precursor to end product occurs in a postendoplasmic reticulum compartment.

At least two proteolytic events are involved in the biogenesis of hepatitis B virus e antigen. The first proteolytic event removes the signal peptide and results in the translocation of the precursor protein, P22, into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The second proteolytic event removes the carboxy-terminal arginine-rich sequence of P22 and converts it to the 16-kDa hepatitis B virus e antigen end product. In contrast to the first proteolytic event, the second proteolytic event is suppressed by brefeldin A, a chemical that inhibits the transport of protein from the ER to the Golgi apparatus. In subcellular fractionation experiments, P22 was detected in both the ER and the Golgi fractions, but P16 was detected only in the Golgi fraction. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the conversion of P22 to P16 occurs ina post-ER compartment, mostly likely the Golgi apparatus.