Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Impairs M1 Macrophage Differentiation and Contributes to CD8<sup>+</sup> T-Cell Dysfunction

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes generalized CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell impairment, not limited to HCV-specific CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells. Liver-infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) contribute to the local micro-environment and can interact with and infl...

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Main Authors: Faria Ahmed, Andrea Ibrahim, Curtis L. Cooper, Ashok Kumar, Angela M. Crawley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
Series:Cells
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/8/4/374
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author Faria Ahmed
Andrea Ibrahim
Curtis L. Cooper
Ashok Kumar
Angela M. Crawley
author_facet Faria Ahmed
Andrea Ibrahim
Curtis L. Cooper
Ashok Kumar
Angela M. Crawley
author_sort Faria Ahmed
collection DOAJ
description Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes generalized CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell impairment, not limited to HCV-specific CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells. Liver-infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) contribute to the local micro-environment and can interact with and influence cells routinely trafficking through the liver, including CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells. MDMs can be polarized into M1 (classically activated) and M2a, M2b, and M2c (alternatively activated) phenotypes that perform pro- and anti-inflammatory functions, respectively. The impact of chronic HCV infection on MDM subset functions is not known. Our results show that M1 cells generated from chronic HCV patients acquire M2 characteristics, such as increased CD86 expression and IL-10 secretion, compared to uninfected controls. In contrast, M2 subsets from HCV-infected individuals acquired M1-like features by secreting more IL-12 and IFN-&#947;. The severity of liver disease was also associated with altered macrophage subset differentiation. In co-cultures with autologous CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells from controls, M1 macrophages alone significantly increased CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell IFN-&#947; expression in a cytokine-independent and cell-contact-dependent manner. However, M1 macrophages from HCV-infected individuals significantly decreased IFN-&#947; expression in CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells. Therefore, altered M1 macrophage differentiation in chronic HCV infection may contribute to observed CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cell dysfunction. Understanding the immunological perturbations in chronic HCV infection will lead to the identification of therapeutic targets to restore immune function in HCV<sup>+</sup> individuals, and aid in the mitigation of associated negative clinical outcomes.
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spelling doaj.art-dbdc632e5a7b476d8e28a234d78df37c2023-09-03T00:09:06ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092019-04-018437410.3390/cells8040374cells8040374Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Impairs M1 Macrophage Differentiation and Contributes to CD8<sup>+</sup> T-Cell DysfunctionFaria Ahmed0Andrea Ibrahim1Curtis L. Cooper2Ashok Kumar3Angela M. Crawley4Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, CanadaDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, CanadaClinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, CanadaDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, CanadaDepartment of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, CanadaChronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes generalized CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell impairment, not limited to HCV-specific CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells. Liver-infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) contribute to the local micro-environment and can interact with and influence cells routinely trafficking through the liver, including CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells. MDMs can be polarized into M1 (classically activated) and M2a, M2b, and M2c (alternatively activated) phenotypes that perform pro- and anti-inflammatory functions, respectively. The impact of chronic HCV infection on MDM subset functions is not known. Our results show that M1 cells generated from chronic HCV patients acquire M2 characteristics, such as increased CD86 expression and IL-10 secretion, compared to uninfected controls. In contrast, M2 subsets from HCV-infected individuals acquired M1-like features by secreting more IL-12 and IFN-&#947;. The severity of liver disease was also associated with altered macrophage subset differentiation. In co-cultures with autologous CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells from controls, M1 macrophages alone significantly increased CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell IFN-&#947; expression in a cytokine-independent and cell-contact-dependent manner. However, M1 macrophages from HCV-infected individuals significantly decreased IFN-&#947; expression in CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells. Therefore, altered M1 macrophage differentiation in chronic HCV infection may contribute to observed CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cell dysfunction. Understanding the immunological perturbations in chronic HCV infection will lead to the identification of therapeutic targets to restore immune function in HCV<sup>+</sup> individuals, and aid in the mitigation of associated negative clinical outcomes.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/8/4/374macrophagesCD8<sup>+</sup> T-cellsmonocyte-derived macrophageshepatitis C virusinterferon-γ
spellingShingle Faria Ahmed
Andrea Ibrahim
Curtis L. Cooper
Ashok Kumar
Angela M. Crawley
Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Impairs M1 Macrophage Differentiation and Contributes to CD8<sup>+</sup> T-Cell Dysfunction
Cells
macrophages
CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells
monocyte-derived macrophages
hepatitis C virus
interferon-γ
title Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Impairs M1 Macrophage Differentiation and Contributes to CD8<sup>+</sup> T-Cell Dysfunction
title_full Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Impairs M1 Macrophage Differentiation and Contributes to CD8<sup>+</sup> T-Cell Dysfunction
title_fullStr Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Impairs M1 Macrophage Differentiation and Contributes to CD8<sup>+</sup> T-Cell Dysfunction
title_full_unstemmed Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Impairs M1 Macrophage Differentiation and Contributes to CD8<sup>+</sup> T-Cell Dysfunction
title_short Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Impairs M1 Macrophage Differentiation and Contributes to CD8<sup>+</sup> T-Cell Dysfunction
title_sort chronic hepatitis c virus infection impairs m1 macrophage differentiation and contributes to cd8 sup sup t cell dysfunction
topic macrophages
CD8<sup>+</sup> T-cells
monocyte-derived macrophages
hepatitis C virus
interferon-γ
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/8/4/374
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