Exploring the biological basis of hepatitis B e antigen in hepatitis B virus infection

D Milich, TJ Liang - Hepatology, 2003 - Elsevier
The function of the hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) is largely unknown because it is not
required for viral assembly, replication, or infection. In this report we chronicle clinical and
experimental studies in an attempt to understand the role of HBeAg in natural infection.
These studies largely have focused on clinical-pathologic features of HBeAg-negative
variants in acute and chronic HBV infection, mutational analysis in animal models of
hepadnavirus infection, and the use of transgenic murine models. The clinical and …