Differential expansion of T‐cell receptor variable beta subsets after antigenic stimulation in patients with different outcomes of hepatitis C infection

Summary Persistent antigenic stimulation during chronic hepatitis C may alter the T‐cell receptor variable chain beta (TCR BV) repertoire as well as the cytokine responses of hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐specific T lymphocytes. We analysed the distribution of the TCR BV subsets 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, 6.1, 8, 13.1, 13.6, 14.1, 17.1, 21.3 in relation to intracytoplasmic expression of interleukin‐2, interferon‐γ, interleukin‐4 and interleukin‐10. Using flow cytometry, CD45RO+ memory T cells of 27 patients with chronic hepatitis C, eight patients with resolved HCV infection and 16 non‐HCV‐related controls were studied with and without stimulation by the HCV core, NS3, NS4, NS5a and NS5b proteins. Patients with chronic and resolved hepatitis C differed by larger basal TCR BV2.1+, BV6.1+, BV17.1+ and BV21.3+ subsets in chronic hepatitis C, which were correlated to the numbers of T cells with spontaneous interleukin‐2 and interferon‐γ production (r=0·51–0·73, P