UNGLYCOSYLATED TRANSMEMBRANE PROTEIN HAVING A MR OF 24KD AND EXHIBITS HEPATITIS C VIRUS SPECIFICITY USE AND TRANSGENIC ANIMALS CONTAINING THEREOF

摘要

A functionally unglycosylated transmembrane protein having a molecular weight of about 24kd which is ubiquitous in human cells and exhibits the same species specificity as hepatitis C virus. The protein is capable of binding to HCV surface proteins and is a putative HCV cellular receptor. As such it has many applications in the fields of diagnosis and treatment of HCV infection and in the design of HCV therapeutics.