Mutations that alter use of hepatitis C virus cell entry factors mediate escape from neutralizing antibodies.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

The development of vaccines and other strategies to prevent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is limited by rapid viral evasion. HCV entry is the first step of infection; this process involves several viral and host factors and is targeted by host-neutralizing responses. Although the roles of host factors in HCV entry have been well characterized, their involvement in evasion of immune responses is poorly understood. We used acute infection of liver graft as a model to investigate the molecular mechanisms of viral evasion.

Methods

We studied factors that contribute to evasion of host immune responses using patient-derived antibodies, HCV pseudoparticles, and cell culture-derived HCV that express viral envelopes from patients who have undergone liver transpl

SUBMITTER: Fofana I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5295797 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature