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World J Gastroenterol. Nov 21, 2014; 20(43): 15992-16013
Published online Nov 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i43.15992
Hepatitis C virus molecular evolution: Transmission, disease progression and antiviral therapy
Maria Victoria Preciado, Pamela Valva, Alejandro Escobar-Gutierrez, Paula Rahal, Karina Ruiz-Tovar, Lilian Yamasaki, Carlos Vazquez-Chacon, Armando Martinez-Guarneros, Juan Carlos Carpio-Pedroza, Salvador Fonseca-Coronado, Mayra Cruz-Rivera
Maria Victoria Preciado, Pamela Valva, Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, División Patología, Hospital de Niños “Ricardo Gutiérrez”, Buenos Aires C1425EFD, Argentina
Alejandro Escobar-Gutierrez, Karina Ruiz-Tovar, Carlos Vazquez-Chacon, Armando Martinez-Guarneros, Juan Carlos Carpio-Pedroza, Instituto de Diagnóstico y Referencia Epidemiológicos, Mexico 01480, Mexico
Paula Rahal, Lilian Yamasaki, Department of Biology, Institute of Bioscience, Language and Exact Science, São Paulo State University, São José do Rio Preto, SP 13560-970, Brazil
Salvador Fonseca-Coronado, Laboratorio de Inmunobiología de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Unidad de Investigación Multidisciplinaria, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Estado de México 54714, Mexico
Mayra Cruz-Rivera, Departmento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
Author contributions: Preciado VM and Cruz-Rivera M designed and wrote the manuscript; Valva P, Escobar-Gutierrez A, Rahal P, Ruiz-Tovar K, Yamasaki L, Vazquez-Chacon C, Martinez-Guarneros A, Carpio-Pedroza JC and Fonseca-Coronado S collected and analyzed the data.
Supported by Project Salud 2012-C01-181585, CONACYT and PAPIIT TA200112, Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Academico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (in part); Argentine National Agency for Scientific and Technology Promotion (PICT 2012 Nº804) and National Research Council (CONICET, PIP 2010 Nº51)
Correspondence to: Mayra Cruz-Rivera, Senior Researcher, Departmento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico. mayracr@yahoo.com
Telephone: +52-55-56232466 Fax: +52-55-56232382
Received: May 7, 2014
Revised: June 22, 2014
Accepted: August 13, 2014
Published online: November 21, 2014
Processing time: 197 Days and 16.5 Hours
Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents an important public health problem worldwide. Reduction of HCV morbidity and mortality is a current challenge owned to several viral and host factors. Virus molecular evolution plays an important role in HCV transmission, disease progression and therapy outcome. The high degree of genetic heterogeneity characteristic of HCV is a key element for the rapid adaptation of the intrahost viral population to different selection pressures (e.g., host immune responses and antiviral therapy). HCV molecular evolution is shaped by different mechanisms including a high mutation rate, genetic bottlenecks, genetic drift, recombination, temporal variations and compartmentalization. These evolutionary processes constantly rearrange the composition of the HCV intrahost population in a staging manner. Remarkable advances in the understanding of the molecular mechanism controlling HCV replication have facilitated the development of a plethora of direct-acting antiviral agents against HCV. As a result, superior sustained viral responses have been attained. The rapidly evolving field of anti-HCV therapy is expected to broad its landscape even further with newer, more potent antivirals, bringing us one step closer to the interferon-free era.

Keywords: Hepatitis C virus; Evolution; Phylogenetics; Drug resistance; Clinical outcome

Core tip: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains as an important public health problem worldwide. Viral molecular evolution determines, in many ways, the outcome of HCV infection. Here, we present up-to-date information about the role of HCV molecular evolution in virus ransmission, disease progression and antiviral therapy.