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. 2020 Mar 13;9(3):790. doi: 10.3390/jcm9030790

Figure 2.

Figure 2

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) sensing by the intracellular innate immunity throughout the virus life cycle. Upon attachment to cellular receptors, HCV is internalized by endocytosis (1). Uncoating is then triggered and the viral genome is released into the cytoplasm (2). At the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) surface, viral RNA is translated (3), producing a polyprotein that it is co- and post-translationally processed into 10 viral proteins. Viral proteins’ expression induces the formation of a membranous web, which is essential for viral replication (4). HCV hijacks the lipid transport machinery for assembly (5) and uses the endosomal secretory pathway to be transported to the plasma membrane (6), where virion release occurs (7). The cytosolic sensors retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I), melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) and protein kinase R (PKR) together with the membrane pattern recognition receptor toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) recognize viral RNA inducing the downstream activation of interferons (IFNs) and proinflammatory cytokines’ production.3. Activation of the Intracellular Innate Immunity by HCV.