Differential Sensitivity of 5′UTR-NS5A Recombinants of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes 1−6 to Protease and NS5A Inhibitors

The mutations F1464L, A1672S, and D2979G permitted the development of efficient HCV recombinants comprising genotype-specific 5′ untranslated region−NS5A (5-5A), which include the natural NS3 protease and NS5A domain-I drug targets. The robust replication of adapted 5-5A recombinants allowed for direct comparison of NS3 protease and NS5A inhibitors against HCV strains of genotypes 1−6.