Deep mutational scanning of hepatitis B virus reveals a mechanism for cis-preferential reverse transcription. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38723628/)

These scientists wanted to understand how a virus called Hepatitis B infects people. This virus has a small piece of DNA and it infects a lot of people around the world. The scientists studied the genetic material of the virus very closely to see how it works.

They did an experiment where they grew the virus in cells in a lab and looked at how different changes in the virus's genetic code affected its ability to infect the cells. They found that the virus uses a special method to make proteins that help it survive and spread in the body.

By studying the virus in this way, the scientists were able to figure out how the virus tricks our cells into making more copies of itself. This information can help us develop better ways to fight the virus and protect people from getting sick.

Yu Y., Kass MA., Zhang M., Youssef N., Freije CA., Brock KP., Aguado LC., Seifert LL., Venkittu S., Hong X., Shlomai A., de Jong YP., Marks DS., Rice CM., Schneider WM. Deep mutational scanning of hepatitis B virus reveals a mechanism for cis-preferential reverse transcription. Cell. 2024 May 23;187(11):2735-2745.e12. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.008. Epub 2024 May 8.