Patent ID: 8501450
Filing Date: 2013-08-06
Classification: C07K,C12N,C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. An isolated Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) NS3 genotype 1a or 1b protease, wherein said protease is proteolytically active and is encoded by a polynucleotide having a nucleic acid sequence that is at least 80% identical to the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 from nucleotide position 1 through nucleotide position 543, wherein said nucleic acid sequence encodes an amino acid sequence having at least two amino acid alterations, wherein one of said amino acid alterations results in a serine at the amino acid position corresponding to amino acid position 54 of SEQ ID NO:2, and wherein the second of said amino acid alterations is at an amino acid position selected from the group consisting of amino acid positions corresponding to amino acid positions 36, 155 and 156 of SEQ ID NO: 2, and combinations thereof, (i) wherein the amino acid alteration at the amino acid position corresponding to amino acid position 36 of SEQ ID NO:2 results in a methionine or glycine, (ii) wherein the amino acid alteration at the position corresponding to amino acid position 155 of SEQ ID NO:2 results in an amino acid selected from the group consisting of threonine, serine, methionine, leucine and glycine, and (iii) wherein the amino acid alteration at the position corresponding to amino acid position 156 of SEQ ID NO:2 results in an amino acid encoding isoleucine.