Molecular biology and clinical implication of hepatitis C virus

Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research

A.c. Lyra¹  X. Fan¹  A.m. Di Bisceglie¹ 

关键词: Hepatitis C;    Molecular biology;    Quasispecies;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0100-879X2004000500010

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was first described in 1989 as the putative viral agent of non-A non-B hepatitis. It is a member of the Flaviviridae family and has been recognized as the major causative agent of chronic liver disease, including chronic active hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV is a positive RNA virus with a genome containing approximately 9500 nucleotides. It has an open reading frame that encodes a large polyprotein of about 3000 amino acids and is characterized by extensive genetic diversity. HCV has been classified into at least 6 major genotypes with many subtypes and circulates within an infected individual as a number of closely related but distinct variants known as quasispecies. This article reviews aspects of the molecular biology of HCV and their clinical implication.

【 授权许可】

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