FIG 5 .

Uptake of mtHCV in vivo can be blocked with anti-HCV E2-specific antibodies and is dependent on endogenous expression of mouse CD81 and SCARB1. (a) R26-LSL-Fluc mice were injected with 1 × 10¹¹ particles of adenoviruses expressing mouse CD81, SCARB1, CLDN1, and OCLN. mtHCV-Cre was incubated with the indicated doses of anti-HCV E2 (clone AR4A) or an anti-HIV isotype control antibody (clone B12) for 1 h prior to injection (1 × 10⁶ TCID₅₀) and 24 h after adenoviral delivery (n = 3). Data were acquired 72 h following HCV infection. Values are means ± SD. (b) Rosa26-Fluc mice were crossed with mCD81^−/− or mSCARB1^−/− mice, and offspring with the indicated zygosities for the respective mutant alleles were injected with the indicated combinations of AdVs encoding mouse CD81 (mCD81), SCARB1, CLDN1, and OCLN and 24 h later with 2 × 10⁷ TCID₅₀ BiCre-Jc1 (n ≥ 4). Luminescence was quantified 72 h following HCV infection. Values are means plus SD.