Method: In addition, a combination mutant of
I127N/
K130M/V131/
I/F132Y (abbreviated as Combo mutant) was generated.
Method: To generate
HBx mutants that correspond to mutations in the
basal core promoter region, site-directed mutagenesis was performed at amino acid positions
I127N (
T1753A),
K130M/
V131I (
A1762T/
G1764A) (abbreviated as TA mutant) and
F132Y (
T1768A) using a Quikchange kit (Stratagene) according to the manufacturer's protocol.