Maturation
In the Golgi, the pre-VLDLs are believed to fuse with large triacylglycerol (TG)-rich lipid droplets to form VLDLs. The VLDLs then fuse with the high-density HCV precursors to form the HCV lipoviral particle. This low-density HCV lipoviral particle leaves the trans-Golgi network (TGN) in specialized transport vesicles known as multivesicular bodies. The cellular secretory machinery transports the multivesicular bodies to the cell surface. The endosomal-sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) pathway plays a key role in multivesicular body formation and in other post-assembly steps that lead to transport to the cell surface and release of the lipoviral particle.