FIG. 6.

The I432V/P540A replicon and the Rep1b replicon are equally sensitive to CsA. (A) We treated the indicated replicon cells with increasing amounts of CsA for 72 h and then detected HCV NS5A expression. (B) RNA analysis. The total RNA in the CsA-treated replicon cells was extracted 72 h posttreatment and then analyzed with real-time RT-PCR to detect HCV RNA and GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) RNA simultaneously. The ratios of HCV RNA versus GAPDH RNA were calculated through the relative cycle threshold values. (C) RS1-2 is more resistant than the I432V replicon. The RS1-2 replicon, which contains a single I432V mutation in NS5B and many other mutations elsewhere in the genome, was treated and analyzed in the same manner as the Rep1b-based replicon cells shown in panel A.