Fig. 1

HCV genomic organization, HCV proteins and targets for direct-acting antiviral agents. The HCV genome, having approximately 9.6 kilobases (kb), contains a 5'-nontranslated region (NTR), an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), a long open reading frame encoding polyprotein precursor of about 3,000 amino acid residues and a 3'-NTR. The polyprotein precursor is processed by both host and viral enzymes to release functional structural and non-structural proteins. HCV NS3/4A, HCV NS5A, and HCV NS5B are targets for antiviral agents [1, 2]