Blood transcriptomes of chronic HCV patients four years after therapy-induced viral clearance

Little is known on the immune status in liver and blood of chronic HCV patients long after therapy-induced viral clearance. In this study, we demonstrate that 4 years after clearance, regulation of HCV-specific immunity in blood by regulatory T-cells (Treg) and the immunosuppressive cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β is still ongoing. Importantly, sampling of the liver 4 years after clearance shows that intrahepatic Treg are still present in all patients, suggesting that liver T-cells remain regulated. Identifying mechanisms that regulate HCV-specific memory T-cell responses after clearance is highly relevant for the development of protective vaccines, especially in patients at high-risk of reinfection. A genome-wide gene expression analysis was performed on a blood cohort of 5 chronic HCV patients. For each patient, blood was collected at 4 years after ending of HCV therapy, and blood transcriptomes was compared to the paired transcriptomes at baseline and 24 weeks after ending HCV therapy (GSE59312).