Figure 1: Genetic determinants of tissue tropism of HCV SB and JFH1 viruses.
From: Hepatitis C virus has a genetically determined lymphotropism through co-receptor B7.2
(a–c) HCV virus RNA in the parental Raji cells (a), RIG-I knockdown Raji (sh-RIGI-Raji) cells (b) or Huh7.5.1 cells (c). Cells were harvested from day 1 until day 28 after HCV RNA transfection. The HCV RNA titers were determined by qRT-PCR (performed in quadruplicates, n=3). Error bars represent s.d. (d) Genetic structure of virus chimera assembled from the SB and JFH-1 strains. The chimeric viruses were transfected into Raji (sh-RIGI-Raji) or Huh7.5.1 cells as indicated; cellular HCV RNA was quantitated by qRT-PCR at 24 days after transfection (Left and Right). The HCV RNA titers in the supernatant are shown in (d, middle). HCV SB, but not commonly studied JFH-1 strain, preferentially infects, replicates and produces virion particles in sh-RIGI-Raji lymphoma B cells, but not in Huh7.5 hepatocyte cells (n=3). Error bars represent s.d.
