Hepatitis C virus: virology and life cycle

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA virus in the Flaviviridae family. It causes acute hepatitis with a high propensity for chronic infection. Chronic HCV infection can progress to severe liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In the last decade,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical and molecular hepatology 2013-03, Vol.19 (1), p.17-25
Main Authors: Kim, Chang Wook, Chang, Kyong-Mi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibodies
Antiviral drugs
Clinical trials
Drug development
Drug resistance
Genome, Viral
Genomes
Genotype & phenotype
Glycoproteins
Hepacivirus - genetics
Hepacivirus - physiology
Heparan sulfate
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C virus
High density lipoprotein
Humans
Kinases
Life cycle
Lipids
Mutation
Proteins
Review
RNA polymerase
RNA, Viral - metabolism
Scavenger Receptors, Class B - metabolism
Tetraspanin 28 - metabolism
Toxicity
Viral Envelope Proteins - chemistry
Viral Envelope Proteins - metabolism
Viral Nonstructural Proteins - chemistry
Viral Nonstructural Proteins - metabolism
Virology
Virus Assembly
Virus Internalization
Virus Replication
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Summary:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA virus in the Flaviviridae family. It causes acute hepatitis with a high propensity for chronic infection. Chronic HCV infection can progress to severe liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In the last decade, our basic understanding of HCV virology and life cycle has advanced greatly with the development of HCV cell culture and replication systems. Our ability to treat HCV infection has also been improved with the combined use of interferon, ribavirin and small molecule inhibitors of the virally encoded NS3/4A protease, although better therapeutic options are needed with greater antiviral efficacy and less toxicity. In this article, we review various aspects of HCV life cycle including viral attachment, entry, fusion, viral RNA translation, posttranslational processing, HCV replication, viral assembly and release. Each of these steps provides potential targets for novel antiviral therapeutics to cure HCV infection and prevent the adverse consequences of progressive liver disease.
ISSN:2287-2728
2287-285X
DOI:10.3350/cmh.2013.19.1.17