Hepatitis C Virus' initial encounters: mechanisms of innate immunity

Abstract

HCV is a single-stranded RNA virus that affects approximately 210 million people worldwide causing chronic disease in 80% of those infected. With the development of new models of study, and a better understanding of the innate immune response, the way this virus induces and evades an immune response at the beginning of the infection has started to be recognized as a critical stage for the development of the chronic state. Still, even with so much information, the question remains as to how the virus establishes itself successfully in the host; a critical question that can lead to life-saving answers. In this review we aim to understand the initial interaction of the virus with its host based on the current literature that links innate immunity and HCV's effects over it.

Innate immune cell networking in hepatitis C virus infection

“…Infection by HCV is characterized by sustained viremia, primarily by immune dysregulation and suppression [12,13]. During chronic HCV infection, high viral replication, chronic immune activation, sustained and increased expression of negative immune regulatory factors, and dysfunctional adaptive T and B cell responses are observed [12,14].…”

“…Thus, in the case of a persistent virus, such as HCV, the initial interaction of the virus with the host that occurs at the level of the innate immune response is crucial for the disease outcome. Although the role of various innate immune cell populations during HCV infection has been the topic of various reviews, the literature on the intercellular interactions between the different components of the innate immune system in chronic HCV infection has not been reviewed [13,[15][16][17]. Thus, in this review, we will focus on the intercellular cross-talk between the cells of the innate immune system during chronic HCV infection and aim to understand whether interrupting or strengthening any particular cell-cell interaction could help enhance antiviral response and develop strong adaptive immune response.…”