Hep B cAg Background Information Hep B (Hepatitis B) virus is a member of a member of the Hepadnavirus family that causes an inflammation of the liver, vomiting, jaundice, and sometimes, death. Hep B is one of the small number of known non-retroviral viruses that replicate their genome using reverse transcription. Three major antigens make up different parts of the Hep B Virus (HBV). These three include: surface antigen (Hep B sAg), an envelope glycoprotein found as membranous aggregates in the sera of individuals infected with HBV; and e-antigen (Hep B eAg), which is typically associated with much higher rates of viral replication; and core antigen (Hep B cAg), which encloses the viral genome and makes up the assembled and unassembled variants of the capsid protein. Hep B cAg and Hep B eAg are used primarily in HBV diagnosis, whereas Hep B sAg is used for HBV prevention in vaccines. Hep B viral antigens are primarily expressed in liver.
