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Immune Response of Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes and Possibility of Vaccine Development for Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Immune responses of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are implicated in viral eradication and the pathogenesis of hepatitis C. Weak CTL response against hepatitis C virus (HCV) may lead to a persistent infection. HCV infection impairs the function of HCV-specific CTLs; HCV proteins are thought to activ...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Hiroishi, Kazumasa, Eguchi, Junichi, Ishii, Shigeaki, Hiraide, Ayako, Sakaki, Masashi, Doi, Hiroyoshi, Omori, Risa, Imawari, Michio
Formato: Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2010
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2874944/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20508848
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/263810
Descripción
Sumario:Immune responses of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are implicated in viral eradication and the pathogenesis of hepatitis C. Weak CTL response against hepatitis C virus (HCV) may lead to a persistent infection. HCV infection impairs the function of HCV-specific CTLs; HCV proteins are thought to actively suppress host immune responses, including CTLs. Induction of a strong HCV-specific CTL response in HCV-infected patients can facilitate complete HCV clearance. Thus, the development of a vaccine that can induce potent CTL response against HCV is strongly expected. We investigated HCV-specific CTL responses by enzyme-linked immuno-spot assay and/or synthetic peptides and identified over 40 novel CTL epitopes in the HCV protein. Our findings may contribute to the development of the HCV vaccine. In this paper, we describe the CTL responses in HCV infection and the attempts at vaccine development based on recent scientific articles.