A Genome-wide CRISPR Screen Identifies ZCCHC14 as a Host Factor Required for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Production

Summary: A hallmark of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus infection is the presence of high circulating levels of non-infectious small lipid HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) vesicles. Although rare, sustained HBsAg loss is the idealized endpoint of any CHB therapy. A small molecule, RG7834, has been previously reported to inhibit HBsAg expression by targeting terminal nucleotidyltransferase proteins 4A and 4B (TENT4A and TENT4B). In this study, we describe a genome-wide CRISPR screen to identify other potential host factors required for HBsAg expression and to gain further insights into the mechanism of RG7834. We report more than 60 genes involved in regulating HBsAg and identify additional factors involved in RG7834 activity, including a zinc finger CCHC-type containing 14 (ZCCHC14) protein. We show that ZCCHC14, together with TENT4A/B, stabilizes HBsAg expression through HBV RNA tailing, providing a potential new therapeutic target to achieve functional cure in CHB patients. : Hyrina et al. employ a non-biased functional CRISPR screening approach to identify host factors regulating HBsAg expression as well as those targeted by RG7834, a HBsAg inhibitor. The screen highlighted over 60 genes and identified a mechanism by which ZCCHC14, together with TENT4A/B, stabilizes HBsAg expression through HBV RNA tailing. Keywords: HBV, HBsAg, CRISPR, genome-wide screen, RG7834, ZCCHC14, TENT4B, RNA tailing