By imaging live cells, researchers show how hepatitis C replicates

(PhysOrg.com) -- The hepatitis C virus is a prolific replicator, able to produce up to a trillion particles per day in an infected person by hijacking liver cells in which to build up its viral replication machinery. Now new research — in which scientists have for the first time used fluorescent proteins to image hepatitis C virus replication in live cells — shows that the microscopic viral factories are a diverse mix of big, immobile structures and tiny replication complexes that zip zanily around inside the cell. The scientists say their results, published in the Journal of Virology, offer new insights into how this difficult-to-treat virus, and perhaps others in its class, ensures efficient reproduction of itself — knowledge that could help design next-generation treatments.

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