PMID- 8875627
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19970116
LR  - 20081121
VI  - 25
DP  - 1995
TI  - Cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in hepatitis C virus infection.
PG  - 221-5
AB  - To clarify whether abnormal cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses to hepatitis C 
      virus (HCV) contribute to viral persistence and the development of subsequent 
      chronic liver disease, we studied CTL responses of peripheral blood lymphocytes 
      (PBLs) to HCV in patients with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B44. CTLs were 
      generated from PBLs by repeated stimulation with a synthetic HCV nucleoprotein 
      peptide. The recognition of the peptide by CTLs was not strong and was restricted 
      by an HLA B44 molecule. The minimal optimal epitope was a 9-mer peptide of HCV 
      nucleoprotein residues 88 to 96. The CTLs also recognized an HCV antigen produced 
      by a recombinant vaccinia virus construct. The CTLs could be induced from PBLs in 
      4 of 9 patients with past or ongoing HCV infection. Two of the 4 patients who 
      demonstrated the CTL responses had cleared HCV from the circulation. In one of 
      the 4 patients, the infecting strain of HCV was a mutant: this patient's CTLs 
      recognized the variant peptide less efficiently than the wild-type peptide. In 
      the remaining one patient, the amino acid sequence of serum HCV nucleoprotein 
      residues 88 to 96 was that of a wild-type HCV but the titer of HCV RNA in serum 
      was low. All 5 patients who did not demonstrate the CTL responses had high titers 
      of a wild-type HCV in their serum. Thus, insufficient CTL responses to HCV and 
      emergence of HCV variants that escape recognition by CTLs or otherwise prevent 
      the CTL response may contribute to HCV persistence resulting in the subsequent 
      development of chronic liver disease.
FAU - Imawari, M
AU  - Imawari M
AD  - Liver Study Laboratory, Jichi Medical School, Tochigi, Japan.
FAU - Kita, H
AU  - Kita H
FAU - Moriyama, T
AU  - Moriyama T
FAU - Kaneko, T
AU  - Kaneko T
FAU - Hiroishi, K
AU  - Hiroishi K
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - Princess Takamatsu Symp
JT  - Princess Takamatsu symposia
JID - 9301172
SB  - IM
MH  - Genetic Variation
MH  - Hepacivirus/classification/genetics
MH  - Hepatitis C/*immunology
MH  - Humans
MH  - T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/*immunology
EDAT- 1995/01/01 00:00
MHDA- 1995/01/01 00:01
CRDT- 1995/01/01 00:00
PHST- 1995/01/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1995/01/01 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1995/01/01 00:00 [entrez]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Princess Takamatsu Symp. 1995;25:221-5.