Abstract
Considering the possible high impact of variations in HCV IRES on viral protein production and thus virus replication, we decided to collect the available data on known nucleotide variants in the HCV IRES and their impact on IRES function in translation initiation. The HCV IRES variation database (HCVIVdb) is a collection of naturally occurring and engineered mutation entries for the HCV IRES.
Each entry contains contextual information pertaining to the entry such as the HCV genotypic background and links to the original publication. Where available, quantitative data on the IRES efficiency in translation have been collated along with details on the reporter system used to generate the data.
Data are displayed both in a tabular and graphical formats and allow direct comparison of results from different experiments. Together the data provide a central resource for researchers in the IRES and hepatitis C-oriented fields.