Mutations within a conservative region of HCV affects the therapy

At least 200 million individuals are currently infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide. Approximately 30%-50% of patients respond to interferon/ribavirin combination therapy. Response to interferon therapy depends mainly on viral and host genetic factors. The HCV is continually mutating which allows the virus to evade the immune system and overcome interferon treatment. The 5'untranslated region (UTR) of the viral genome is the most conserved region within the viral RNA, and its structural/thermodynamic stability is a key factor for efficient binding to host ribosomes for initiating viral polyprotein translation. It is believed that more than 100 host proteins bind to this region...

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