Targets for inhibition of hepatitis C virus replication.

Abstract

Considerable progress has been made in characterizing the proteins involved in hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication, despite the lack of a cell culture system. A number of systems have been developed to examine the processes involved in viral replication, including the initiation and processing of the viral proteins required for RNA replication, the unwinding activities of the RNA helicase and the synthesis of RNA by the viral polymerase. These processes have been examined using individually cloned proteins expressed in various in vitro systems, which may be suitable targets for antiviral agents. The viral helicase and protease domains have now been crystallized, which may enable the rational..