HCV entry and neutralizing antibodies: lessons from viral variants.

Evaluation Hepatitis C virus entry and neutralizing antibodies : lessons from viral variants

Hepatitis C virus plays hide and seek with neutralizing antibodies.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) evades immune responses to establish a chronic infection. These viral evasion mechanisms pose a formidable challenge to vaccine development. In this issue of HEPATOLOGY Prentoe et al. report important observations that guide the development of vaccination strategies for induction of potent cross-neutralizing antibodies. While the importance of cellular immunity for contr...

Mutations that alter use of hepatitis C virus cell entry factors mediate escape from neutralizing antibodies.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The development of vaccines and other strategies to prevent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is limited by rapid viral evasion. HCV entry is the first step of infection; this process involves several viral and host factors and is targeted by host-neutralizing responses. Although the roles of host factors in HCV entry have been well characterized, their involvement in evasion ...

Viral entry and escape from antibody-mediated neutralization influence hepatitis C virus reinfection in liver transplantation

End-stage liver disease caused by chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause for liver transplantation (LT). Due to viral evasion from host immune responses and the absence of preventive antiviral strategies, reinfection of the graft is universal. The mechanisms by which the virus evades host immunity to reinfect the liver graft are unknown. In a longitudinal analysis of six H...

Neutralizing Antibodies and Pathogenesis of Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The interplay between the virus and host innate and adaptive immune responses determines the outcome of infection. There is increasing evidence that host neutralizing responses play a relevant role in the resulting pathogenesis. Furthermore, viral evasion from host neutralizing antibodies has been revealed to...