cccDNA (covalently closed circular DNA) is a special DNA structure that arises during the propagation of some viruses in the cell nucleus and may remain permanently there. It is a double-stranded DNA that originates in a linear form that is ligated by means of DNA ligase to a covalently closed ring.

Chronic infection with HBV is characterized by the persistence of the episomal viral genome, the covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which forms a stable minichromosome in the nuclei of infected hepatocytes.

The inhibition of cccDNA formation and the eradication of the cccDNA pool is essential for a cure for HBV infection . Understanding the factors and mechanisms involved in cccDNA formation can reveal novel targets for inhibiting cccDNA biogenesis.

Mar 11, 2021 · Our findings provide a detailed mechanistic view of how HBV rcDNA is repaired to form cccDNA in biochemical repair systems. An estimated two billion people have been exposed to Hepatitis B...

Upon infection, HBV establishes a pool of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) in the nucleus of infected hepatocytes. The cccDNA exists as a minichromosome and resists to antivirals, thus a therapeutic eradication of cccDNA from the infected cells remains unattainable.

Existing medicines are unable to disable covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which may result in HBV persistence and recurrence. The current therapeutic goal is to achieve a functional cure, which means HBV-DNA no longer exists when …

the HBV covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) is the root cause of HBV chronicity. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of cccDNA formation from relaxed circular DNA (rcDNA)...

Because of the persistence of the viral minichromosome in the infected liver, i.e. covalently closed circular (ccc) DNA, 2–4 viral relapse is almost universal when treatment is stopped prior to HBsAg loss.

Objectives: A major goal of curative hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatments is the reduction or inactivation of intrahepatic viral covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). Hence, precise cccDNA quantification is essential in preclinical and clinical studies.

May 28, 2020 · Unlike HCV, which encodes an RNA genome that replicates solely in the cytoplasm, HBV produces a nuclear covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) minichromosome, which is not targeted by current...