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World J Gastroenterol. May 21, 2014; 20(19): 5773-5793
Published online May 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i19.5773
Autophagy in hepatitis C virus-host interactions: Potential roles and therapeutic targets for liver-associated diseases
Po-Yuan Ke, Steve S-L Chen
Po-Yuan Ke, Steve S-L Chen, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
Po-Yuan Ke, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, and Molecular Medicine Research Center, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan
Po-Yuan Ke, Liver Research Center, Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan
Steve S-L Chen, PhD Program in Translational Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708 and Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
Author contributions: Ke PY and Chen SSL wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Steve S-L Chen, PhD, Research Fellow, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Nangang District, Taipei 11529, Taiwan. schen@ibms.sinica.edu.tw
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Received: October 8, 2013
Revised: January 14, 2014
Accepted: March 4, 2014
Published online: May 21, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease and is associated with over 170 million infected individuals worldwide. However, a successful strategy for completely eradicating HCV infection is still limited. Autophagy is a catabolic process that delivers cytosolic components to lysosomes for breakdown. HCV has been shown to activate autophagy to promote viral growth in vitro. In this review, we outline the recent findings on the physiological significance of autophagy in the HCV life cycle and propose a potential role of autophagy in the development of HCV-related liver diseases as well as a perspective on therapeutics targeting autophagy to cure HCV infection.