RNase protection analysis mapping the transcription initiation sites of the precore (PC) and pregenomic (C) transcripts from the livers of HBV transgenic mice. Mice were fed (control) or fasted for 48 h (fasting). (A) The 3′ ends of the all the HBV transcripts corresponding to the polyadenylation site (pA) of these RNAs also generated a protected fragment in this analysis. The riboprobe used included the HBV ayw sequence spanning nucleotide coordinates 1990 to 1658. The 3.5-kb HBV RNAs protect fragments of 283 (pA), 206 (PC), and 175 (C) nucleotides. +/−, FoxA3+/− mice; −/−, FoxA3−/− mice. (B) Quantitative analysis of the HBV precore to pregenomic RNA ratio in HBV transgenic mice. The mean HBV precore to pregenomic (PC/C) RNA ratios plus standard deviations are shown for the following groups of HBV transgenic mice: four control male FoxA3+/−, four fasted male FoxA3+/−, four control male FoxA3−/−, four fasted male FoxA3−/−, four control female FoxA3+/−, four fasted female FoxA3+/−, four control female FoxA3−/−, and four fasted female FoxA3−/− mice. The HBV precore to pregenomic (PC/C) RNA ratios in the fasted HBV transgenic mice are not statistically significantly different from the ratios in the control HBV transgenic mice, as determined by a Student's t test (P > 0.05).