title: A T-cell HCV vaccine eliciting effective immunity against heterologous virus challenge in chimpanzees.
abstract: Three percent of the world's population is chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and at risk of developing liver cancer. Effective cellular immune responses are deemed essential for spontaneous resolution of acute hepatitis C and long-term protection. Here we describe a new T-cell HCV genetic vaccine capable of protecting chimpanzees from acute hepatitis induced by challenge with heterologous virus. Suppression of acute viremia in vaccinated chimpanzees occurred as a result of massive expansion of peripheral and intrahepatic HCV-specific CD8(+) T lymphocytes that cross-reacted with vaccine and virus epitopes. These findings show that it is possible to elicit effective immunity against heterologous HCV strains by stimulating only the cellular arm of the immune system, and suggest a path for new immunotherapy against highly variable human pathogens like HCV, HIV or malaria, which can evade humoral responses.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti, via Pontina km30,600, 00040 Pomezia, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Folgori
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Capone
authors.forename: Lionello
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meola
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sporeno
authors.forename: Bruno Bruni
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Ercole
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pezzanera
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tafi
authors.forename: Mirko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arcuri
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fattori
authors.forename: Armin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lahm
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luzzago
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vitelli
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Colloca
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cortese
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nicosia
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014766:Viremia / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines