Figure 6.
Conceptual schematic of genotype-specific interferon action. (A) Normal HCV replication (genotype 2, for example) with consensus-sequence envelope (E2) and P7 proteins (blue) tightly interacting with NS5B RNApol (green) RNApol causing normal rapid low-fidelity replication and synthesis of a normal viral RNA quasispecies. (B) Interferon treatment results in either interferon or/and PKR binding to NS5B or E2 abrogating normal Env:RNApol interactions hence altering RNApol conformation resulting in synthesis of higher fidelity RNAs at lower rate. (C) Normal HCV replication (genotype I) with consensus sequence envelope proteins (blue) also tightly interact with RNApol (green), to produce a normal viral RNA quasispecies (C), but the different NS5B or E2 (P7) binding site topology results in less efficient RNApol inhibition (D) by interferon or/and PKR compared to genotype 2.