DNA synthesis inside the hepatitis B virus creates a high-energy spool
Nora Gibes, Katie Culhane, Haitao Liu, Ji Xi, Karolyn Pionek, Smita Nair, Daniel D. Loeb, Jianming Hu, Adam Zlotnick, Joseph Che‐Yen Wang
The paper determines the structures of mature HBV and Duck HBV, revealing that DNA forms a spool within the capsid that interacts with interior charges and creates a metastable state for genome uncoating.
bioRxiv · Jan 23, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology