Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B nonnucleoside inhibitors specifically block single-stranded viral RNA synthesis catalyzed by HCV replication complexes in vitro.

ABSTRACT

Replication complexes of hepatitis C virus synthesized two major species of viral RNA in vitro, double stranded and single stranded. NS5B nonnucleoside inhibitors inhibited dose dependently the synthesis of single-stranded RNA but not double-stranded RNA. Moreover, replication complexes carrying a mutation resistant to a nonnucleoside inhibitor lost their susceptibilities to the inhibitor.