A cooperative interaction between nontranslated RNA sequences and NS5A protein promotes in vivo fitness of a chimeric hepatitis C/GB virus B.

ABSTRACT: GB virus B (GBV-B) is closely related to hepatitis C virus (HCV), infects small non-human primates, and is thus a valuable surrogate for studying HCV. Despite significant differences, the 5' nontranslated RNAs (NTRs) of these viruses fold into four similar structured domains (I-IV), with domains II-III-IV comprising the viral internal ribosomal entry site (IRES). We previously reported the in vivo rescue of a chimeric GBV-B (vGB/III(HC)) containing HCV sequence in domain III, an essential segment of the IRES. We show here that three mutations identified within the vGB/III(HC) genome (within the 3'NTR, upstream of the poly(U) tract, and NS5A coding sequence) are necessary and sufficient for production of this chimeric virus following intrahepatic inoculation of synthetic RNA in tamarins, an

SUBMITTER: Warter L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2635954 | biostudies-literature | 2009

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature