title: Impact of alloimmune T cell responses on hepatitis C virus replication in liver transplant recipients.
abstract: We investigated the influence of alloimmune T cell responses on hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication in HCV-infected patients after liver transplantation (LT). To monitor the immune-status in 27 HCV-infected LT recipients, we routinely performed mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assays within 4 weeks after LT. HCV RNA titers in most patients fluctuated in inverse proportion to the stimulation index (SI) of anti-donor reactive T cells early after LT. Two weeks after LT, recipients with high HCV RNA titers (>1000 KIU/mL) displayed a significantly lower SI for anti-donor reactive T cells than recipients with low HCV RNA titers did (<1000 KIU/mL). An in vitro transwell assay mimicking the anatomical features of the interaction between HCV-infected hepatocytes and alloreactive T cells in allograft livers demonstrated that interferon (IFN)-γ was necessary to suppress HCV replication. This study proves the significant impact of alloimmune T cell responses on HCV replication in HCV-infected LT recipients.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterological and Transplant Surgery, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan; Liver Research Project Center, Hiroshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterological and Transplant Surgery, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan; Liver Research Project Center, Hiroshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohira
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterological and Transplant Surgery, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan; Liver Research Project Center, Hiroshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tashiro
authors.affiliation: Medicine and Molecular Science, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan; Liver Research Project Center, Hiroshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.affiliation: Medicine and Molecular Science, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan; Liver Research Project Center, Hiroshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chayama
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterological and Transplant Surgery, Applied Life Sciences, Institute of Biomedical & Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan; Liver Research Project Center, Hiroshima University, Japan. Electronic address: hohdan@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohdan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D064591:Allografts / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008875:Middle Aged; D066027:Transplant Recipients; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: Alloimmune responses; Hepatitis C; Living donor liver transplantation