title: Hepatitis C virus: life cycle in cells, infection and host response, and analysis of molecular markers influencing the outcome of infection and response to therapy.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major global health burden accounting for around 170 million chronic infections worldwide. Since its discovery, which dates back to about 30 years ago, many details of the viral genome organization and the astonishing genetic diversity have been unveiled but, owing to the difficulty of culturing HCV in vitro and obtaining fully susceptible yet immunocompetent in vivo models, we are still a long way from the full comprehension of viral life cycle, host cell pathways facilitating or counteracting infection, pathogenetic mechanisms in vivo, and host defences. Here, we illustrate the viral life cycle into cells, describe the interplay between immune and genetic host factors shaping the course of infection, and provide details of the molecular approaches currently used to genotype, monitor replication in vivo, and study the emergence of drug-resistant viral variants.
authors: Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology and Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: L B
authors: LB
authors: Dustin
authors: Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Bartolini
authors: Laboratory of Virology, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani" IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
authors: M R
authors: MR
authors: Capobianchi
authors: Virology Unit, Pisa University Hospital, and Virology Section and Retrovirus Centre, Department of Translational Research, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: mauro.pistello@med.unipi.it.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Pistello
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Broadly reactive neutralizing antibodies; Cell culture-derived HCV; Direct antiviral agents; Drug resistance; Genotype; Hepatitis C virus; Host response; Pathogenesis; Quantitative molecular assays; monitoring drug resistance