Prolonged HBV persistence in TNF-α knockout mice.

<p>Wild type C57BL/6 and different knockout mice, including NLRP3, apoptosis- ASC, MYD88, IL-1R, IFNAR, RIG-1, MAD5, and TNF-α, were introduced to the pAAV/HBV1.2 plasmid by hydrodynamic injection. HBsAg levels in mice serum were determined by an ELISA. HBsAg-positivity was defined as an S/N ratio greater than 2. The percentage of HBsAg-positivity (A) and serum HBsAg levels (B) were measured at Weeks 1, 3, 6 and 8. #, not detectable.