Viral specific requirements for self-priming RNA replication of hepatitis C virus replicase

摘要

The present invention relates to identification of the features of an RNA template that provide for efficient "copy-back" self-priming activity of hepatitis C virus replicase. This activity can be used to screen for anti-HCV replicase compounds, or to characterize the biological relevance of lead compounds that have already been identified. The specific features of the optimal RNA templates can be used for developing a system to characterize HCV NS5B polymerase mechanistically and kinetically, and for designing small RNA molecules to co-crystallize with HCV NS5B polymerase.