The N-terminal Helical Region of the Hepatitis C Virus p7 Ion Channel Protein Is Critical for Infectious Virus Production.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) p7 protein is required for infectious virus production via its role in assembly and ion channel activity. Although NMR structures of p7 have been reported, the location of secondary structural elements and orientation of the p7 transmembrane domains differ among models. Furthermore, the p7 structure-function relationship remains unclear.