Funk A, Mhamdi M, Will H, Sirma H. Avian hepatitis B viruses: Molecular and cellular biology, phylogenesis, and host tropism. World J Gastroenterol 2007; 13(1): 91-103 [PMID: 17206758 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i1.91]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Hüseyin Sirma, Department of General Virology, Heinrich-Pette-Institut für experimentelle Virologie und Immunologie an der Universität Hamburg, PO Box 201652, Hamburg 20206, Germany. sirma@hpi.uni-hamburg.de
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World J Gastroenterol. Jan 7, 2007; 13(1): 91-103 Published online Jan 7, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i1.91
Avian hepatitis B viruses: Molecular and cellular biology, phylogenesis, and host tropism
Anneke Funk, Mouna Mhamdi, Hans Will, Hüseyin Sirma
Anneke Funk, Mouna Mhamdi, Hans Will, Hüseyin Sirma, Department of General Virology, Heinrich-Pette-Institut für experimentelle Virologie und Immunologie an der Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg and the Bunde-sministerium für Gesundheit und Soziale Sicherung; grants from DFG and by the German Competence Network for Viral Hepatitis (Hep-Net), funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Grant No. TP13.1
Correspondence to: Hüseyin Sirma, Department of General Virology, Heinrich-Pette-Institut für experimentelle Virologie und Immunologie an der Universität Hamburg, PO Box 201652, Hamburg 20206, Germany. sirma@hpi.uni-hamburg.de
Telephone: +49-40-48051226 Fax: +49-40-48051222
Received: September 11, 2006 Revised: October 7, 2006 Accepted: November 25, 2006 Published online: January 7, 2007
Abstract
The human hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) share several fundamental features. Both viruses have a partially double-stranded DNA genome that is replicated via a RNA intermediate and the coding open reading frames (ORFs) overlap extensively. In addition, the genomic and structural organization, as well as replication and biological characteristics, are very similar in both viruses. Most of the key features of hepadnaviral infection were first discovered in the DHBV model system and subsequently confirmed for HBV. There are, however, several differences between human HBV and DHBV. This review will focus on the molecular and cellular biology, evolution, and host adaptation of the avian hepatitis B viruses with particular emphasis on DHBV as a model system.
