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 RNA_pol (green) RNA_pol 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:RNA_pol interactions hence altering RNA_pol 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 RNA_pol (green), to produce a normal viral RNA quasispecies (C), but the different NS5B or E2 (P7) binding site topology results in less efficient RNA_pol inhibition (D) by interferon or/and PKR compared to genotype 2.