Publikation
Reduced IFNλ4 activity is associated with improved HCV clearance and reduced expression of interferon-stimulated genes
Wissenschaftlicher Artikel/Review - 23.12.2014
Terczyńska-Dyla Ewa, Moradpour Darius, Mullhaupt Beat, Negro Francesco, Santoro Rosanna, Semela David, Semmo Nasser, Swiss Hepatitis C Cohort Study Group, Heim Markus H, Bochud Pierre-Yves, Mangia Alessandra, Malinverni Raffaele, Bibert Stéphanie, Duong Francois H T, Krol Ilona, Jørgensen Sanne, Collinet Emilie, Kutalik Zoltán, Aubert Vincent, Cerny Andreas, Kaiser Laurent, Hartmann Rune
Bereiche
PubMed
DOI
Zitation
Art
Zeitschrift
Veröffentlichungsdatum
eISSN (Online)
Seiten
Kurzbeschreibung/Zielsetzung
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are the major cause of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Both spontaneous and treatment-induced clearance of HCV depend on genetic variation within the interferon-lambda locus, but until now no clear causal relationship has been established. Here we demonstrate that an amino-acid substitution in the IFNλ4 protein changing a proline at position 70 to a serine (P70S) substantially alters its antiviral activity. Patients harbouring the impaired IFNλ4-S70 variant display lower interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression levels, better treatment response rates and better spontaneous clearance rates, compared with patients coding for the fully active IFNλ4-P70 variant. Altogether, these data provide evidence supporting a role for the active IFNλ4 protein as the driver of high hepatic ISG expression as well as the cause of poor HCV clearance.