Darius Moradpour

Cell lines that allow regulated expression of HCV proteins

Publisher Summary The lack of an efficient cell-culture system permissive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and replication limits the systematic study of the viral life cycle and pathogenesis, as well as the development and evaluation of novel antiviral strategies. Using a tetracycline-regulated gene expression system, a comprehensive panel of continuous human cell lines inducibly expressing HCV structural and nonstructural proteins are established and characterized in this chapter. The cellular and viral proteolytic machineries, and posttranslational modification pathways are fully functional in these cell lines. Steady-state expression levels can be regulated over a broad range by the concentration of tetracycline present in the culture medium. The inducible cell lines represent a unique model system to analyze structural and functional properties of HCV proteins and their interactions with cellular proteins and pathways. These cell lines should prove useful for the evaluation of novel antiviral strategies in a well-defined and highly reproducible cellular context.