Open AccessWhy do human hepatitis viruses replicate so poorly in cell cultures?
Author(s) -
Lemon Stanley M.,
Whetter Linda,
Chang Ki Ha,
Brown Edwin A.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1992.tb14076.x
Subject(s) - virology , biology , viral replication , replication (statistics) , virus , hepatitis c virus , viral evolution , translation (biology) , genetics , rna , gene , messenger rna
The five viruses which classically cause hepatitis in man represent diverse families of viruses and share in common only a striking hepatotropism and substantial restrictions to replication in conventional cell cultures. Hepatitis A virus is unique among these viruses in that it is amenable to propagation in cell culture, but replication of this virus is much slower and less efficient than replication of other picornaviruses. This probably reflects less efficient cap‐independent viral translation, as well as restrictions at other points in the replication cycle. We speculate that the significantly restricted replication of hepatitis viruses in cell culture reflects evolutionary forces controlling their transmission and propagation through human populations.