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Updated: May 31, 2026

Analysis of HBV-Specific CD4 T-cell Responses and Identification of HLA-DR-Restricted CD4 T-Cell Epitopes Based on a Peptide Matrix
Published on: October 20, 2021
Predicting response to therapy in chronic hepatitis C: an approach combining interleukin-28B gene polymorphisms and
José M Ladero1, Elena García Martin, Cristina Fernández
1Liver Unit, Service of Gastroenterology, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, and School of Medicine, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain. jladero.hcsc@salud.madrid.org
Background And Aim:
Polymorphisms at the interleukin-28B (IL28B) gene predict therapeutic response in chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 (CHC-1) infection. The aim of the present study was to establish whether a unique single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) represents the whole predictive value of the IL28B haplotype for sustained viral response (SVR) and primary non-response (PNR).
Methods:
SNP rs12979860 and rs8099917 were determined by TaqMan assays in 110 CHC-1 Caucasian patients treated with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin.
Results:
There were 51 SVR, 43 PNR, and 16 relapses. Baseline predictors of SVR were rs12979860CC genotype (P = 0.008), viral load < 400.000 IU/mL (P < 0.010), age (P = 0.013), γ-glutamyl transferase (P = 0.022), alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.008), and cholesterol (P = 0.048). The area under the receiver-operating curve (AUROC) of the model, including these variables, was 0.841 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.767-0.916). The same figures for PNR were rs12979860 T-allele carrier state (P = 0.00008), viral load ≥ 400.000 IU/mL (P = 0.007), aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (P = 0.048), and serum cholesterol (P = 0.064), (AUROC = 0.869, 95% CI = 0.792-0.945). After excluding rs12979860CT SNP from multivariate analyses, the rs8099917 genotype alone did not predict SVR (P = 0.185), but strongly predicted PNR (P = 0.003). The significance of haplotypes combining both SNP as predictors of SVR and PNR was higher than those of each separate SNP.
Conclusions:
The rs12979860 SNP strongly predicts therapeutic response in CHC-1 patients, and if associated with easy-to-obtain baseline criteria, provides a useful tool for the selection of candidates for antiviral therapy. IL28B haplotypes might improve the clinical usefulness of individual SNP.
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