Novel RNA family structure of hepatitis B virus expressed in human cells, using a helper-free adenovirus vector.

Ad5-HBL is a type 5 adenovirus bearing the large BglII fragment (2.8 kilobases; 87% of the total genome) of hepatitis B virus (HBV), subtype adr. Eight HBV RNAs expressed in HeLa cells infected with Ad5-HBL were mapped by the nuclease S1 technique. Three major RNAs spanning 2.4, 2.0, and 0.7 kilobases of the HBV sequences cover the coding regions of "presurface" plus surface antigen, surface antigen alone, and "X" protein, respectively. The 5' segment of an RNA which could code for core antigen (HBcAg) was also detected. All major HBV RNAs initiate from mutually exclusive 5' ends, terminate at the unique 3' end within the HBcAg coding region (except readthrough species), and have no spliced deletion, forming a novel RNA family structure. No TATA box-like sequences were found near the 5' end of these RNAs, except in the case of the 2.4-kilobase RNA. About two thirds of total HBV RNA does not terminate at the mapped 3'-end position, suggesting the termination signal is functionally inefficient. Since the potential 5' end of HBcAg mRNA was mapped at the same position as the minus-strand nick of HBV DNA previously reported, we propose a model that requires inefficient poly(A) addition to produce an RNA which serves both as HBcAg mRNA and as the putative RNA template of minus-strand DNA synthesis in the HBV life cycle.