Short description

The cccDNA is a special, ring-shaped DNA structure that appears in the cell nucleus during the replication of some viruses and can persist there.

Synonyms
covalently closed circular DNA

Detailed description

The cccDNA occurs, for example, in hepatitis and represents the central reservoir that enables the viruses to survive in the liver and thus accounts for the chronic disease pattern. Scientists are developing therapies that can silence the cccDNA in the nucleus of infected cells.