Kaito M, Watanabe S, Tsukiyama-Kohara K, Yamaguchi K, Kobayashi Y, Konishi M, Yokoi M, Ishida S, Suzuki S, Kohara M
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Japan.
J Gen Virol. 1994 Jul;75 ( Pt 7):1755-60. doi: 10.1099/0022-1317-75-7-1755.
To clarify the morphology of hepatitis C virus (HCV), an indirect immunogold electron microscopic study was carried out on two plasma samples with high HCV RNA titres using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies specific to the putative HCV envelope protein. Spherical virus-like particles, 55 to 65 nm in diameter with spike-like projections, were found in 1.14 to 1.16 g/ml fractions after sucrose density gradient centrifugation. These particles were found only in HCV-infected blood donors and had morphological features similar to those of flaviviruses. Moreover, these particles specifically reacted with the polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to the putative HCV envelope protein. This is the first known report in which the morphology of the HCV particle is clearly shown.
为阐明丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）的形态，使用针对假定的HCV包膜蛋白的多克隆和单克隆抗体，对两份HCV RNA滴度高的血浆样本进行了间接免疫金电子显微镜研究。在蔗糖密度梯度离心后的1.14至1.16 g/ml组分中发现了直径为55至65 nm、带有刺状突起的球形病毒样颗粒。这些颗粒仅在感染HCV的献血者中发现，其形态特征与黄病毒相似。此外，这些颗粒与针对假定的HCV包膜蛋白的多克隆和单克隆抗体发生特异性反应。这是首次明确显示HCV颗粒形态的已知报告。
