The quasispecies nature and biological implications of the hepatitis C virus.
Many RNA viruses exist as a cloud of closely related sequence variants called a quasispecies, rather than as a population of identical clones. In this article, we explain the quasispecies nature of RNA viral genomes, and briefly review the principles of quasispecies dynamics and the differences with classical population genetics. We then discuss the current methods for quasispecies analysis and conclude with the biological implications of this phenomenon, focusing on the hepatitis C virus.
Fishman
Sarah L
SL
Department of Medicine, Division of Liver Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, United States. sarah.fishman@mssm.edu
Branch
Andrea D
AD
D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005821:Genetic Techniques; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D016679:Genome, Viral; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity
D012367:RNA, Viral