In:
Current Medicinal Chemistry, Bentham Science Publishers Ltd., Vol. 29, No. 15 ( 2022-05), p. 2736-2747
Abstract:
Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is among the major
causes of hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, as well as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and it is associated with a significant risk of developing lymphoproliferative disorders. The rate of clinical disease progression is variable depending on multiple host and viral factors, including
immune response. Methods: To perform a comprehensive epitope mapping of anti-HCV antibodies in patients
suffering from HCV-related liver or lymphoproliferative diseases, we analyzed clinical samples on a peptide microarray platform made of 5952 overlapping 15-mer synthetic
peptides derived from the whole HCV proteome. We evaluated the antibody profile of 71 HCV-positive patients diagnosed with HCC, mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC), and HCV
chronic infection. Antibody reactivity against virus peptides was detected in all HCVpositive patients. Importantly, the signal amplitude varied significantly within and between
diverse patient groups. Results: Antibody reactivity against C peptides were found generally low in HCV chronically
infected asymptomatic subjects and increasingly high in HCC and MC patients. Moreover, we found a statistically significant higher IgG response in HCC and MC patients
against specific domains of HCV C, E2, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, and p7 compared to HCV-positive subjects. Conclusion: In conclusion, our data suggest that immune response against specific HCV
protein domains may represent useful biomarkers of disease progression among HCVpositive patients and suggest that peptide microarrays are good tools for the screening of
immunotherapy targets in preclinical HCV research.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0929-8673
DOI:
10.2174/0929867328666211104093718
Language:
English
Publisher:
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Publication Date:
2022
SSG:
15,3
