International Immunology Advance Access originally published online on December 16, 2005
International Immunology 2006 18(1):11-18; doi:10.1093/intimm/dxh337
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Activation of V
9V
2 T cells by non-peptidic antigens induces the inhibition of subgenomic HCV replication
1 Laboratory of Cellular Immunology, Laboratory of Gene Expression, Laboratory of Virology, Clinical Department, National Institute for Infectious Diseases "Lazzaro Spallanzani"IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy
2 Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Cellulari ed Ematologia, Sezione di Genetica Molecolare, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, University of Rome La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy
Correspondence to: F. Poccia; E-mail: poccia{at}inmi.it
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has evolved complex strategies to evade host immune responses and establish chronic infection. Since human V
9V
2 T lymphocytes play a critical role in the immune response against viruses, we analyzed their antiviral functions on Huh7 hepatoma cells carrying the subgenomic HCV replicon (Rep60 cells). In a transwell culture system, Rep60 cells were co-cultured with either PBMCs or highly purified 
T cells stimulated by non-peptidic antigens. V
9V
2 T cell activation was associated with a dramatic reduction of HCV RNA levels. Neutralizing antibodies targeting IFN-
revealed a critical role for this cytokine in the inhibition of HCV replication. Interestingly, drugs already in clinical use, such as Phosphostim and Zoledronate, known to activate 
T cells, were shown to induce the inhibition of HCV replication mediated by V
9V
2 T cells of HCV patients. Our data suggest that the therapeutic activation of V
9V
2 T lymphocytes may represent an additional strategy to inhibit HCV replication and to restore a Th1-oriented immune response in HCV-infected patients.
Keywords: hepatitis C, IFN-
, natural immunity, 
T cells
* These authors contributed equally to this work.
Transmitting editor: E. Vivier
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