Highly permissive cell lines for subgenomic and genomic hepatitis C virus RNA replication. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication appears to be restricted to the human hepatoma cell line Huh-7, indicating that a favorable cellular environment exists within these cells. Although adaptive mutations in the HCV nonstructural proteins typically enhance the replicative capacity of subgenomic replicons in Huh-7 cells, replication can only be detected in a subpopulation of these cells. Here we show that self-replicating subgenomic RNA could be eliminated from Huh-7 clones by prolonged treatment with alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) and that a higher frequency of cured cells could support both subgenomic and full-length HCV replication. The increased permissiveness of one of the cured cell lines allowed us to readily detect HCV RNA and antigens early after RNA transfection, eliminating the need for selection of replication-positive cells. We also demonstrate that a single amino acid substitution in NS5A is sufficient for establishing HCV replication in a majority of cured cells and that the major phosphate acceptor site of subtype 1b NS5A is not essential for HCV replication.

publication date

  • December 1, 2002

Research

keywords

  • Hepacivirus
  • Liver Neoplasms
  • RNA, Viral
  • Virus Replication

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC136668

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0036893332

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1128/jvi.76.24.13001-13014.2002

PubMed ID

  • 12438626

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 76

issue

  • 24