Xing Liu #,Shuhui Qi #,Xin Yin

Adv Exp Med Biol.2023;1417:159-169.doi: 10.1007/978-981-99-1304-6_11.

Abstract

Hepatitis E virus, a leading cause of acute hepatitis worldwide, has been recognized as non-enveloped virus since its discovery in the 1980s. However, the recent identification of lipid membrane-associated form termed as "quasi-enveloped" HEV has changed this long-held notion. Both naked HEV and quasi-enveloped HEV play important roles in the pathogenesis of hepatitis E. However, the biogenesis and the mechanisms underlying the composition, biogenesis regulation, and functions of the novel quasi-enveloped virions remain enigmatic. In this chapter, we highlight the most recent discoveries on the dual life cycle of these two different types of virions, and further discuss the implication of the quasi-envelopment in our understanding of the molecular biology of HEV.

Keywords: Morphogenesis; Naked HEV; Quasi-enveloped; Virions.