Following in real-time the structural changes during Hepatitis B virus assembly and disassembly

We propose to unravel the precise assembly and disassembly mechanism of Cp183 and the coassembly mechanism of RNA with Cp183 capsid protein into mature paricles under different solution conditions. The detailed structural changes will be studied at msec temporal resolution. We will characterize the structure, kinetics, mechanism, and energetics of the assembly and disassembly processes under different conditions. To distinguish between different theoretical kinetic models, we need to vary the initial conditions of the assembly and disassembly reactions. Varying the salt concentration or pH has a critical role on the assembly and disassembly processes, as these factors determine the strength of the interaction between protein capsid molecules and between the RNA and the capsid protein.