Impact of hepatitis C virus heterogeneity on interferon sensitivity: an overview.

ABSTRACT: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of liver disease worldwide. HCV is able to evade host defense mechanisms, including both innate and acquired immune responses, to establish persistent infection, which results in a broad spectrum of pathogenicity, such as lipid and glucose metabolism disorders and hepatocellular carcinoma development. The HCV genome is characterized by a high degree of genetic diversity, which can be associated with viral sensitivity or resistance (reflected by different virological responses) to interferon (IFN)-based therapy. In this regard, it is of importance to note that polymorphisms in certain HCV genomic regions have shown a close correlation with treatment outcome. In particular, among the HCV proteins, the core and nonstructural proteins (NS) 5A have been

SUBMITTER: El-Shamy A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4069287 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature