Hepatitis C Virus – Molecular Biology, Disease and Treatment (Section 1) 2.0
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Immunology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 4571
Special Issue Editor
Interests: translation; replication; miR-122; cellular gene regulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear colleagues,
Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) preferentially replicates in the human liver and frequently causes chronic infection, often leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. HCV is an enveloped virus classified in the genus Hepacivirus in the family Flaviviridae and has a single-stranded RNA genome of positive orientation. Both hepatocyte surface receptors and the liver-specific microRNA-122 contribute to HCV hepatotropism, and the HCV life cycle is closely linked to the lipid metabolism of hepatocytes. The HCV RNA genome is translated by virtue of an internal ribosome entry site. After a pilot round of genome translation, replication factories called “membranous webs” are formed in the cytoplasm, which are the sites of genome replication. During RNA genome synthesis, the error-prone viral replicase provides a high mutation rate in the genome, allowing the virus to easily escape from host immune responses and treatment. Moreover, viral proteins interfere with the immune response in order to establish an ongoing chronic infection “under the radar” of the host, a strategy to ensure its spread among host individuals not aware of the infection, even at the time of effective anti-viral treatment. While such treatment does not protect against repeated infection, vaccines are under development.
In this Special Issue, we would like to provide comprehensive overviews over important aspects of the molecular events in the HCV life cycle, disease development and the current state of HCV treatment.
Potential topics include, without being limited to, the following:
- Introduction to Hepatitis C Virus
- HCV phylogeny and molecular evolution
- Cell culture model systems used in HCV research
- Animal model systems used in HCV research
- HCV model systems
- HCV protein structure
- Entry receptors and events
- Regulation of HCV translation
- The structure of viral replication complexes
- Molecular biology of viral RNA replication, cis-signals and protein factors
- Long-range RNA-RNA interactions and switches in the viral life cycle
- Functions of the liver-specific microRNA-122 in the HCV replication cycle
- Non-coding RNAs in HCV replication (including lncRNAs)
- cis-Determinants of viral RNA encapsidation during assembly
- Virus assembly and release, lipid metabolism
- Innate immune responses to HCV infection and viral counter-measures
- Adaptive immune response and viral escape
- Pathogenesis, cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
- Clinical HCV treatment: state of the art, problems and perspectives
- Vaccine development
Accepted original research articles will be published in the joint Special Issue in IJMS (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/special_issues/Hepatitis_C_Virus_Section_2).
Prof. Dr. Michael Niepmann
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- entry receptors
- HCV genome model systems
- cell culture systems
- animal models
- translation
- replication
- lipid metabolism
- assembly
- immune response
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)
- Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs)
- treatment
- escape mutants
