Fig. 5

Replication and assembly cycle diagram. (1) The virion adheres to the hepatocytes via an interaction between HbsAg-L and a membrane receptor that has not yet been characterized, in the host cell, (2) the virion enters the cell and loses its envelope. (3) The ribonucleoprotein (HDV RNA complexed to HDAg) is imported into the nucleus of the cell, (4) the genomic RNA is transcribed in the nucleus into mRNA and antigenomic RNA, which in turn serves as a template for new RNA genomic transcripts. (5) The mRNA is exported to the cytoplasm where it is translated into HDAg-S in the endoplasmic reticulum, (6) the new HDAg-S molecules return to the cell nucleus to support the replication of more RNA. The two forms of HDAg associate themselves with the new genomic RNA to form new ribonucleoproteins, (7) which are exported to the cytoplasm where they will interact with HBV envelope proteins through HDAg-L in the endoplasmic reticulum to form new viral particles. (8) These particles by budding in an intermediate compartment (9) are exported from the hepatocyte via the trans-Golgi network to re-infect new cells. (Source: [20], Lancet, modified)