Structure and replication of the genome of the hepatitis delta virus.

The hepatitis delta virus can be found in the serum and liver of some hepatitis B virus patients. We now report that the RNA genome of serum-derived delta virus is single-stranded and circular. Livers of infected chimpanzees or woodchucks contained as many as 300,000 copies of genomic strand RNA per average cell, and at least some of this RNA had a circular conformation. Also present in the livers were RNA species complementary to the virion RNA. The genomic RNA was 5-22 times more abundant than this antigenomic strand. Some of the antigenomic RNA was complexed with genomic RNA, as evidenced by the fact that at least 34% of the antigenomic RNA was resistant to digestion with either RNase A in 0.3 M NaCl or S1 nuclease. Some of the antigenomic RNA was in a circular conformation. These and other findings showed that the structure and replication of hepatitis delta virus are in many ways similar to those of the previously described plant viroids, virusoids, and satellite RNAs.