Virology. The X files--one step closer to closure

Abstract

There may be drugs and a useful vaccine available to combat the hepatitis B virus, but one aspect of this pathogen remains a puzzle: the function of its HBx protein. As Ganem reveals in his Perspective, new findings (Bouchard et al.) show that this versatile viral protein is an activator of calcium-dependent Ras signaling, an observation that may explain many of its biological effects.