TABLE 1.
Comparison of mutation rates and synonymous and nonsynonymous nucleotide substitutions in five genomic regions between replicating HCV RNAs, transfected DNA only, and nonreplicating HCV RNAs
| Region and conditiona | No. of clones | No. (%) of mutant clones | Nonsynonymous/synonymous substitutions | Error generation rate (10−3)b |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ UTR | ||||
| T7/H77 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| H77 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T7/ΔBglII | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Core | ||||
| T7/H77 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| H77 | 11 | 1 | 1/0 | 0.1 |
| T7/ΔBglII | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E1/E2 | ||||
| T7/H77 | 11 | 4 (36) | 4/5 | 1.7∗ |
| H77 | 11 | 1 | 1/0 | 0.1 |
| T7/ΔBglII | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NS5A | ||||
| T7/H77 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| H77 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NS5B | ||||
| T7/H77 | 17 | 4 (17) | 4/1 | 0.7 |
| H77 | 12 | 2 | 2/0 | 0.4 |
a
T7/H77, replicating HCV RNAs; H77, transfected DNA only; T7/ΔBglII, nonreplicating HCV RNAs.
b
∗, P < 0.001 for comparison with T7/ΔBglII and with H77 by the χ2 test.