Function is the Key: Impact of Interferon on Hcv-Specific CD8 + t Cells During Acute Hcv Infection

Abstract

Evaluation of: Badr G, Bédard N, Abdel-Hakeem MS et al.: Early interferon therapy for hepatitis C virus infection rescues polyfunctional, long-lived CD8+ memory T cells. J. Virol. 82(20), 10017–10031 (2008). Treatment of acute HCV infection with IFN-α is successful in the vast majority of patients. However, the mechanisms responsible for treatment success have remained unexplained. Specifically, the role of CD8+ T cells during treatment of acute HCV infection has been controversial since previous studies described a decline in HCV-specific CD8+ T-cell numbers during acute HCV infection and antiviral treatment irrespective of treatment outcome. Badr et al. demonstrate that successful viral clearance is associated with a polyfunctional HCV-specific CD8+ T-cell response. Importantly, IFN-α treatment was able to convert previously monofunctional HCV-specific CD8+ T cells to polyfunctionality, providing a potential explanation for the mechanisms of IFN-α-related treatment success during acute HCV infection.