The molecular biology of hepatitis C virus. Genotypes and quasispecies.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. HCV is a positive-strand genotype RNA virus with extensive genetic heterogeneity; HCV isolates define 6 major genotypes, and HCV circulates within an infected individual as a number of closely related but distinct species, termed a quasispecies. This article reviews characteristic aspects of HCV molecular biology and their implications for treatment and vaccine development.
Forns
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Hepatitis Viruses Section, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Bukh
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D020413:3' Untranslated Regions / Q000502:physiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines