Hepatitis C Virus activates auto- and paracrine circuits to modify surface expression of growth factor receptors of the Erb family

Background: To establish a persistent infection HCV must have evolved strategies allowing high viral replication without induction of effective antiviral immunity and without affecting viability of its host cell. Recently, the EGF receptor and EGFR dependent signalling have been identified as co-factor for HCV entry and replication. In how far HCV interferes with the expression of the EGF receptor family is unknown and has been investigated in the present study. Methods: Huh7 cells either infected with the HCVcc strain JC1 or harbouring the HCV subgenomic replicon were used and analysed employing targeted gene k…