Characterization of HCV Quasispecies in the Hypervariable Region 1 (HVR 1) by In Vitro Translation and Mass Spectrometry

HCV infection provides a classic example of the phenomenon of quasispecies. Because several lines of investigation support the contribution of quasispecies to HCV’s capacity to maintain a persistent infection, adequate characterization of the quasispecies is important. The hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) of the E2 glycoprotein has been particularly well studied in this regard. We present here a rapid method for characterizing the HVR1 quasispecies, based on in vitro coupled transcription/translation of the amplicons, followed by mass spectrometry of the resulting peptide mix.