Characterization of HCV-Specific Cytotoxic T-Lymphocytes from Liver Tissue

Cellular immune responses, especially those mediated by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs), are an important component of the host immune response in many viral infections. For many years, it has been observed that CD8⁺ cells were present in large numbers in the liver of patients with chronic HCV (1 ), but it was unknown whether these cells represented virus-specific immune responses. In order to understand the potential role of these CD8⁺ lymphocytes in the disease course, it is first necessary to define the functional characteristics of the cells, including a precise definition of the epitopes, which are recognized by these CD8⁺ lymphocytes