Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease and is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. However, there have been few studies on the distribution and genetic diversity of HCV isolates in non-developed countries. Here, the complete genome sequence of an HCV genotype 1 isolate from Equatorial Guinea is reported, the first complete HCV-1 genome of African origin. Phyl...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major etiologic agent of human liver diseases, is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus and is classified in the Flaviviridae family. Although research findings for the assembly of HCV particles are accumulating due to development of HCV cell culture system, the mechanism(s) by which the HCV genome becomes encapsidated remains largely unclear. In general, viral R...

background: hepatitis g virus (gbv-c) is a single strand rnapositive virus and is a member of flaviviridae family. infection with the virus is prevalent add has worldwide distribution. accurate diagnosis of the virus is very important, because of co-infection with other important viruses like hcv, hbv and hiv, it may influence on pathogenesis, disease progression and response to viral therapy. ...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes persistent infection in hepatocytes, and this infection is, in turn, strongly associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. To clarify the mechanisms underlying these effects, we established a Cre/loxP conditional expression system for the precisely self-trimmed HCV genome in human liver cells. Passage of hepatocytes expressing replicable full-lengt...

So far how hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication modulates subsequent virus growth and propagation still remains largely unknown. Here we determine the impact of HCV replication status on the consequential virus growth by comparing normal and high levels of HCV RNA expression. We first engineered a full-length, HCV genotype 2a JFH1 genome containing a blasticidin-resistant cassette inserted at am...

UNLABELLED Despite the recent development of highly effective anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) drugs, the global burden of this pathogen remains immense. Control or eradication of HCV will likely require the broad application of antiviral drugs and development of an effective vaccine. A precise molecular identification of transmitted/founder (T/F) HCV genomes that lead to productive clinical infect...

Persistent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver diseases. The aim of this study was to identify host cell factor(s) participating in the HCV replication complex (RC) and to clarify the regulatory mechanisms of viral genome replication dependent on the host-derived factor(s) identified. By comparative proteome analysis of RC-rich membrane fractions and subsequ...

Although the 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) is the most conserved region of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome, it has been suggested that interrogation of this region is sufficient for determination of the HCV genotype. We compared two methods of determination of the HCV genotype: (i) direct sequencing of the DNA of the NS-5b region and (ii) reverse line probe assay (LiPA; INNO-LiPA HCV II; I...

Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the leading causes of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease worldwide. The genetics of HCV infection in humans and the disease course of chronic hepatitis C are both remarkably variable. Although the response to interferon treatment is largely dependent on HCV genotypes, whether or not a relationship exists between HCV ge...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The noncoding regions in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome contain secondary structures that are important for replication. The aim of this study was to identify detailed conformational elements of the X-region involved in HCV replication. METHODS Ribonucleic acid (RNA) structural analogs X94, X12, and X12c were constructed to have iden...