N-terminal and C-terminal cytosine deaminase domain of APOBEC3G inhibit hepatitis B virus replication

Figure 3 Suppression of replication of HBV clinical isolates of different genotypes by APOBEC3G. (A) pHBV1.3 or the linear monomeric HBV genomes of genotype B and C were transiently co-transfected into HepG2 cells with the CMV-driven expression vector encoding A3G or empty vector pXF3H and pCMV-LacZ using Lipofectamine 2000 reagents. The cells were harvested 3 d after transfection. HBV core-associated viral DNA was prepared from nuclease-treated cytoplasmic lysates. Viral replicative DNA intermediates were analyzed by Southern blotting using a Dig-labeled full-length HBV DNA probe. (B) HBsAg and HBeAg levels were determined in the media of co-transfected HepG2 cells by ELISA, normalized to the activity of co-tansfected β-galactosidase in the cell lysates. The mean ± SEM of six independent experiments is shown (error bar indicates standard error). pA3G: APOBEC3G expression plasmids; RC: relaxed circular DNA; SS: single-stranded DNA.