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. 2009 Sep 1;1(2):185–209. doi: 10.3390/v1020185

Figure 3.

Figure 3.

Genome packaging and nucleocapsid maturation. HBV nucleocapsid formation starts when the complex of the RNA pregenome, HBV polymerase and HBcAg dimers has formed. Efficient packaging of the RNA pregenome requires phosphorylation in the C-terminal part of the core protein. Conversion of the immature RNA-containing nucleocapsid to the mature DNA-containing nucleocapsid is associated with dephosphorylation and conformational changes. These significant differences in the structure between the RNA-containing immature nucleocapsid and the mature nucleocapsid trigger the envelopment of the mature nucleocapsid.