Allosteric conformational changes of human HBV core protein transform its assembly

Hepatitis B Virus core protein (HBc) has multiple roles in the viral lifecycle: viral assembly, compartment for reverse transcription, intracellular trafficking, and nuclear functions. HBc displays assembly polymorphism - it can assemble into icosahedral capsid and aberrant non-capsid structures. It has been hypothesized that the assembly polymorphism is due to allosteric conformational changes of HBc dimer, the smallest assembly unit, however, the mechanism governing the polymorphic assembly of the HBc dimer is still elusive. By using the experimental antiviral drug BAY 41-4109, we successfully transformed the HBc assembly from icosahedral capsid to helical tube. Structural analyses of HBc dimers from helical tubes, T = 4 icosahedral capsid, and sheet-like HBc ensemble revealed differences within the inter-dimer interface. Disruption of the HBc inter-dimer interface may likely promote the various assembly forms of HBc. Our work provides new structural insights into the HBV assembly mechanism and strategic guide for anti-HBV drug design.