Cellular factors involved in the hepatitis C virus life cycle

The hepatitis C virus (HCV), an obligatory intracellular pathogen, highly depends on its host cells to propagate successfully. The HCV life cycle can be simply divided into several stages including viral entry, protein translation, RNA replication, viral assembly and release. Hundreds of cellular factors involved in the HCV life cycle have been identified over more than thirty years of research. Characterization of these cellular factors has provided extensive insight into HCV replication strategies. Some of these cellular factors are targets for anti-HCV therapies. In this review, we summarize the well-characterized and recently identified cellular factors functioning at each stage of the HCV life cycle.

Automated summary

HCV, an obligatory intracellular pathogen, relies heavily on host cells for successful propagation. Its lifecycle includes stages such as viral entry, protein translation, RNA replication, viral assembly, and release, with hundreds of cellular factors identified over three decades of research. These factors, some of which are targeted for anti-HCV therapies, provide valuable insight into HCV replication strategies.