Hepatitis C Virus Genome Replication

Over 170 million people are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major cause of acute and chronic liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (Alter and Seeff 2000). The success of this virus is largely due to its ability to cause persistent infections – often lasting for decades – in over 70% of infected individuals. Thus, HCV infection leads to a dynamic interplay between viral replication, host antiviral responses, and viral countermeasures to evade those responses. Understanding these processes will be crucial for devising effective strategies to combat this virus and alleviate the human suffering it exacts. In this chapter we review the current understanding of HCV genome replication, emphasizing the role of viral and host factors in this process. Where applicable, we will draw comparisons to other viruses within this volume. Nevertheless, due to space limitations this review is not meant to be comprehensive, and we apologize in advance to authors whose work could not be cited.