Innate immunity and hepatitis C virus infection: a microarray's view

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) induces a chronic infection in more than two-thirds of HCV infected subjects. The inefficient innate and adaptive immune responses have been shown to play a major pathogenetic role in the development and persistence of HCV chronic infection. Several aspects of the interactions between the virus and the host immune system have been clarified and, in particular, mechanisms have been identified which underlie the ability of HCV to seize and subvert innate as well as adaptive immune responses. The present review summarizes recent findings on the interaction between HCV infection and innate immune response whose final effect is the downstream inefficient development of antigen-specific adaptive immunity, thereby contributing to virus persistence.

Figure 1

Modulation of innate immune response by HCV. Effects of different HCV factors, RNA or proteins, on cellular mediators of innate immune anti-viral activity are schematically represented.

Figure 2

Interactions between HCV and target cells. Effects of the HCV infection on hepatocytes as well as cells of the innate immunity have been described. Inhibitory strategies (confirmed and contradictory) employed by individual HCV proteins have been indicated.