viruses Review Hepatitis C Viral Replication Complex Hui-Chun Li 1, Chee-Hing Yang 2 and Shih-Yen Lo 2,3,* 1 Department of Biochemistry, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan;
[email protected] 2 Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, Tzu Chi University, Hualien 97004, Taiwan;
[email protected] 3 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien 97004, Taiwan * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +886-3-8565301 (ext. 2322) Abstract: The life cycle of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be divided into several stages, including viral entry, protein translation, RNA replication, viral assembly, and release. HCV genomic RNA replication occurs in the replication organelles (RO) and is tightly linked to ER membrane alterations containing replication complexes (proteins NS3 to NS5B). The amplification of HCV genomic RNA could be regulated by the RO biogenesis, the viral RNA structure (i.e., cis-acting replication elements), and both viral and cellular proteins. Studies on HCV replication have led to the development of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) targeting the replication complex. This review article summarizes the viral and cellular factors involved in regulating HCV genomic RNA replication and the DAAs that inhibit HCV replication. Keywords: hepatitis C virus; replication organelles; NS3 to NS5B proteins; direct-acting antivirals 1. Introduction Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause chronic hepatitis C (CHC), Citation: Li, H.-C.; Yang, C.-H.; Lo, liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and other extra-hepatic manifestations. The S.-Y. Hepatitis C Viral Replication prevalence of CHC patients worldwide was around 71 million in 2017 (https://www.who.