Domain III of NS5A contributes to both RNA replication and assembly of hepatitis C virus particles.

ABSTRACT: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A protein plays a critical role in viral RNA replication and has recently been shown to play a role in particle production in the infectious genotype 2a HCV clone (JFH-1). Here, we show that alanine substitutions of serines 2428/2430 within the C-terminal domain III of NS5A do not affect subgenomic replicon RNA replication but do reduce particle production. In contrast, substitution of serines 2390/2391 had no effect on either RNA replication or particle production. Relative to genotype 1, all genotype 2 HCV isolates contain a 19 residue insertion near the C terminus of domain III which, when deleted (Delta2408-2426), resulted in a delay to both RNA replication and particle production. None of these mutations affected the ratio of basal to hyperphosphorylated

SUBMITTER: Hughes M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7615708 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature