Fig 7. Supernatant/serum HBV RNA are predominately 3’ terminally truncated.

HepAD38 and HepDES19 cells were cultured in the absence of tet and treated with 3TC for 18 days. The intracellular and extracellular total HBV RNA from HepAD38 cells (A-B), extracellular HBV capsid RNA from HepDES19 cells (C), and purified virion RNA from HepAD38 cells (D) were analyzed by 3’ RACE and clone sequencing as described in Materials and Methods. The nucleotide positions and numbers of mapped 3’ termini of each HBV RNA samples are indicated with solid dots underneath the illustrated full-length pgRNA and listed in tables. The RNA molecules with mapped 3’ end position at nt1937 are polyadenylated. The positions of DR1, DR2, and gtD HBV gene-specific primers for nested PCR (GSPD1 and GSPD2) are indicated. (E) The serum RNA of a telbivudine-treated gtC patient were analyzed by 3’ RACE using gtC-specific primers (GSPC1 and GSPC2) in the similar way as above described.