Production of hepatitis C virus lacking the envelope-encoding genes for single-cycle infection by providing homologous envelope proteins or vesicular stomatitis virus glycoproteins in trans.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major worldwide health problem. The envelope glycoproteins are the major components of viral particles. Here we developed a trans-complementation system that allows the production of infectious HCV particles in whose genome the regions encoding envelope proteins are deleted (HCVΔE). The lack of envelope proteins could be efficiently complemented by the expression of homologous envelope proteins in trans. HCVΔE production could be enhanced significantly by previously described adaptive mutations in NS3 and NS5A. Moreover, HCVΔE could be propagated and passaged in packaging cells stably expressing HCV envelope proteins, resulting in only single-round infection in wild-type cells. Interestingly, we found that vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) glycoprotein

SUBMITTER: Li R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3067768 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature