Type I Interferon Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood from Hepatitis C Patients

Compared to healthy individuals, patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have been shown to express higher levels of type I interferons (IFN) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, i.e. members of the IFN-α subfamily, IFN-β, and the members of the newly discovered IFN-λ family. Type I IFNs are synthesized upon viral infection, but they can also be produced as a consequence of pathogen pattern recognition by Toll-like receptors on the surface of specialized cells. Recently, it has been shown that viral infection induces the expression of a set comprising all type I IFN, whereas stimulation via the…