Pan C.-H.PEI-MING YANGHwang L.-H.Kao S.-F.PEI-JER CHENBOR-LUEN CHIANGDING-SHINN CHEN2021-04-222021-04-2220021352-0504https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84984545960&doi=10.1046%2fj.1365-2893.2002.00363.x&partnerID=40&md5=29fac19b792a50d5fe84dc243787dc86https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/557523The aim of this study was to further investigate the role of T-helper cells in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, focusing on the T-cell antigenic determinants and cytokine profiles of nonstructural 3 (NS3) protein-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HCV patients. A total of 12 recombinant proteins of the NS3 region were purified and used to test T-cell proliferative response and antigenic determinants of HCV-seropositive patients. In addition, cytokines produced by antigen stimulated PBMCs were measured. Our data showed that PBMCs from 55.7% (34/61) of HCV patients proliferated to at least one antigen, but PBMCs of HCV seronegative patients did not. In addition, PBMCs from about 82.0% (32/39) HCV-seropositive patients produced significant amounts of cytokines (10 pg/mL). Interestingly, PBMCs from 66% of patients produced TH2-related cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5. In mapping experiments, the data showed multiple T-cell antigenic determinants. Our data demonstrated that NS3 antigen-stimulated PBMCs of HCV patients recognized multiple T-cell antigenic determinants and produced significant amounts of TH0 or TH2-related cytokines, which might play a critical role in the chronicity of HCV infection.[SDGs]SDG3cytokine; epitope; interleukin 4; interleukin 5; NS3 antigen; recombinant protein; unclassified drug; virus antigen; article; cell function; cell proliferation; chronicity; controlled study; cytokine production; helper cell; hepatitis C; Hepatitis C virus; human; human cell; immunostimulation; major clinical study; mononuclear cell; priority journal; protein determination; protein function; protein purification; serodiagnosis; T lymphocyte; Th2 celljournal article10.1046/j.1365-2893.2002.00363.x120816022-s2.0-84984545960