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Hepatitis C virus-mediated modulation of cellular immunity
Erwin Daniel Brenndörfer1, Matti Sällberg
1Division of Clinical Microbiology F68, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, 141 86, Stockholm, Sweden. erwin.brenndorfer@ki.se
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes chronic liver disease by evading the immune system. Understanding HCV
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Immunology
- Virology
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease, affecting 170 million globally.
- Chronic HCV infection leads to severe liver conditions like fibrosis, cirrhosis, and cancer.
- A high percentage (80%) of infected individuals develop chronic infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review HCV's sophisticated immune evasion strategies.
- To summarize current knowledge on HCV's interference with cellular immunity.
- To identify factors contributing to HCV persistence.
Main Methods:
- This is a review article.
- It synthesizes existing research on HCV and the immune system.
- Focuses on intrahepatic immunity and viral properties.
Main Results:
- HCV effectively evades both innate and adaptive immune responses.
- Chronic hepatitis C involves dysregulation of immune cells (NK, NKT, dendritic, macrophages, T cells).
- The interplay between immune evasion and antiviral response causes chronic liver inflammation and injury.
Conclusions:
- Understanding HCV's impact on immunity is crucial for developing new treatments.
- Effective immunotherapies, including therapeutic HCV vaccines, require deep knowledge of HCV's properties and intrahepatic immune effects.
- Targeting HCV's immune evasion mechanisms is key to combating chronic infection.
Abstract:
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease globally. A chronic infection can result in liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and liver failure in a significant ratio of the patients. About 170 million people are currently infected with HCV. Since 80 % of the infected patients develop a chronic infection, HCV has evolved sophisticated escape strategies to evade both the innate and the adaptive immune system. Thus, chronic hepatitis C is characterized by perturbations in the number, subset composition and/or functionality of natural killer cells, natural killer T cells, dendritic cells, macrophages and T cells. The balance between HCV-induced immune evasion and the antiviral immune response results in chronic liver inflammation and consequent immune-mediated liver injury. This review summarizes our current understanding of the HCV-mediated interference with cellular immunity and of the factors resulting in HCV persistence. A profound knowledge about the intrinsic properties of HCV and its effects on intrahepatic immunity is essential to be able to design effective immunotherapies against HCV such as therapeutic HCV vaccines.
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