Genome-wide analysis of the transcriptional response to IFN-α in Hepatitis C patients treated with pegIFN-α2a and pegIFN-α2b

Aims and background: The mechanism of action of interferon-alpha (IFN-α) which is used therapeutically to suppress replication of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in chronically infected patients is still unclear. Methods: To identify target genes that mediate the anti-HCV effect of IFN-α in vivo 39 HCV patients were treated with a standard therapy (PEG-IFNα-2a (n=18) or PEG-IFNα-2b (n=21) + ribavirin) in two independent studies. 12h before and 12h after the first injection of IFN peripheral blood cells were assayed for the expression of IFN-inducible genes (ISGs) using DNA microarrays and quantitative real-time RT-P…