Hepatitis C Virus Replication
- 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- 2Division of Virus-Associated Carcinogenesis, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- 3German Center for Infection Research, Heidelberg Partner Site, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Correspondence: Ralf.Bartenschlager{at}med.uni-heidelberg.de
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↵4 These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract
Replication and amplification of the viral genome is a key process for all viruses. For hepatitis C virus (HCV), a positive-strand RNA virus, amplification of the viral genome requires the synthesis of a negative-sense RNA template, which is in turn used for the production of new genomic RNA. This process is governed by numerous proteins, both host and viral, as well as distinct lipids and specific RNA elements within the positive- and negative-strand RNAs. Moreover, this process requires specific changes to host cell ultrastructure to create microenvironments conducive to viral replication. This review will focus on describing the processes and factors involved in facilitating or regulating HCV genome replication.
