Hepatitis C virus (HCV) sequence variation induces an HCV-specific T-cell phenotype analogous to spontaneous resolution

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific CD8(+) T cells in persistent HCV infection are low in frequency and paradoxically show a phenotype associated with controlled infections, expressing the memory marker CD127. We addressed to what extent this phenotype is dependent on the presence of cognate antigen. We analyzed virus-specific responses in acute and chronic HCV infections and sequenced autologous virus. We show that CD127 expression is associated with decreased antigenic stimulation after either viral clearance or viral variation. Our data indicate that most CD8 T-cell responses in chronic HCV infection do not target the circulating virus and that the appearance of HCV-specific CD127(+) T cells is driven by viral variation.

FIG. 1.

Chronically infected individuals express a range of CD127 levels on HCV-specific T cells. (a) CD127 expression levels on HCV-specific T-cell populations in individuals with established chronic or resolved infection. While individuals with resolved infection (11 tetramer stains in 9 subjects) uniformly express high levels of CD127, chronically infected individuals (21 tetramer stains in 18 subjects) express a wide range of CD127 expression levels. (b) CD127 expression levels are seen to be highly dependent on sequence match with the autologous virus, based on analysis of 9 responses with diminished recognition of the autologous virus and 8 responses with intact epitopes. (c) CD127 expression levels on HCV-specific T-cell B7 CORE 41-49-specific T cells from individual 01-49 with resolved HCV infection (left-hand panel). Lower CD127 expression levels are observed on an EBV-specific T-cell population from the same individual (right-hand panel). APC-A, allophycocyanin-conjugated antibody. (d) Low CD127 levels are observed on A2 NS3 1073-1083 HCV-specific T cells from individual 111 with chronic HCV infection in whom sequencing revealed an intact autologous sequence.

FIG. 2.

CD127 expression levels during acute HCV infection. (a) CD127 expression levels on HCV-specific T cells during the acute phase of HCV infection (data shown for 5 individuals who resolve and two individuals who remain chronically infected). (b) HCV RNA viral load and CD127 expression levels on HCV-specific T cells (A2 NS3 1073-1083 and A1 NS3 1436-1444) for chronically infected individual 00-23. PEG-IFN-α, pegylated alpha interferon. (c) Fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) plots showing longitudinal CD127 expression levels on HCV-specific T cells (A2 NS3 1073-1083 and A1 NS3 1436-1444) from individual 00-23.

FIG. 3.

Longitudinal phenotypic changes on HCV-specific T cells. (a) HCV RNA viral load and CD127 expression (%) levels on A2 NS5B 2594-2602 HCV-specific T cells for individual 04-11. This individual was administered antiviral therapy, which resulted in a sustained virological response. Following reinfection, the individual spontaneously cleared the virus. (b) Longitudinal frequency of A2 NS5B 2594-2602 HCV-specific T cells and PD-1 expression levels (mean fluorescent intensity [MFI]) for individual 04-11. (c) Longitudinal analysis of 04-11 reveals the progressive differentiation of HCV-specific A2 259F CD8⁺ T cells following repetitive antigenic stimulation. FACS plots show longitudinal CD127, CD27, CD57, and CCR7 expression levels on A2 NS5B 2594-2602 tetramer-positive cells from individual 04-11. PE-A, phycoerthrin-conjugated antibody.