Genotype-specific expression system of Hepatitis C Virus glycoproteins for efficient viral particle complementation

Development of the JFH1-based HCV infection system has permitted analysis of the complete replication cycle in tissue culture. Chimeric HCV genotype 2a (GT2a) genomes like Fl-J6/JFH1” or “Jc1” consisting of J6 and JFH1 segments produce much higher virus titers than parental JFH1 indicating that viral determinants in the core to NS2 proteins modulate efficiency of virus production. However, the role of the HCV glycoproteins E1 and E2 in this regard and for assembly and release in general is not well defined. Likewise, lack of tissue culture systems for primary, patient-derived isolates continues to limit systemat…