In vitro Untersuchungen zur Funktion des Core Proteins des Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) im infektiösen Zellkultursystem
Final Report Abstract
The object of this project was Hepatitis C virus derived in cell culture (HCVcc). At the beginning of this study HCVcc has not been studied in wide detail. This study gave us some insights in the molecular biology of the virus and its morphogenesis in cell culture. The identification of essential amino acids of the C‐terminus of the core protein playing a role in the production of infectious virus enables us to detect targets that can be used in antiviral therapy as well as understanding the mechanisms of virus assembly within mammalian cells. The identification of 14 non‐essential amino acids in the very C‐terminal part of the core protein despite the high conservancy was a surprise and gives rise to new questions. While we observed a functional redundancy of this particular part of the core protein in cell culture, the conserved residues may play important roles during virus infection in vivo. The establishment of an efficient and reproductive virus purification scheme for cell‐culture derived Hepatitis C virus has led to a number of possibilities for further analyses of virus structure, virus proteomics and other aspects of the virus life cycle of Hepatitis C virus.
Publications
- (2010) Genetic analysis of the carboxy‐terminal region of the Hepatitis C virus core protein. J. Virol. 84(4):1666‐73
Kopp M, Murray C, Jones C, Rice C
