A protective HLA-B*27 restricted epitope contributes to viral control in chronic HCV infection despite presence of viral escape mutations and is characterized by a unique T cell p…

Introduction and aim: The HLA class I allele B*27 is associated with spontaneous HCV clearance. We have previously linked this protective effect of HLA-B*27 to an immunodominant HLA-B*27 restricted CD8+ T cell epitope located in NS5B. Viral escape within this CD8+ T cell epitope follows a complicated pathway of several mutations, thus, in most HLA-B*27+ subjects, HCV is cleared by the immune response before viral escape can occur. In the current study, we analyzed the impact of the HLA-B*27 restricted CD8+ T cell response in viral control in persistent infection. Methods: We determined the ex vivo HLA class I te…