Modulation of Hepatitis C Virus-Specific CD8 Effector T-Cell Function with Antiviral Effect in Infectious Hepatitis C Virus Coculture Model

The antiviral effects of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific CD8 T cells have been shown in an HCV replicon system but not in an authentic infectious HCV cell culture (HCVcc) system. Here, we developed tools to examine the antigenicity of HCV-infected HLA-A2-positive Huh7.5 hepatoma cells (Huh7.5A2 cells) in activating HCV-specific CD8 T cells and the downstream antiviral effects. Infectious HCV epitope mutants encoding the well-defined genotype 1a-derived HLA-A2-restricted HCV NS3-1073 or NS5-2594 epitope were generated from a genotype 2a-derived HCV clone (Jc1Gluc2A) by site-directed mutagenesis. CD8 T-cell lines specific for NS3-1073 and NS5-2594 were expanded from HCV-seropositive persons by peptide stimulation in vitro or engineered from HCV-seronegative donor T cells by transduction of a lentiviral vector expressing HCV-specific T-cell receptors. HCV-specific CD8 T cells were cocultured with Huh7.5 cells that were pulsed with titrating doses of HCV epitope peptides or infected with HCV epitope mutants. HCV-specific CD8 T-cell activation (CD107a, gamma interferon, macrophage inflammatory protein 1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha) was dependent on the peptide concentrations and the relative percentages of HCV-infected Huh7.5A2 cells. HCV-infected Huh7.5A2 cells activated HCV-specific CD8 T cells at levels comparable to those achieved with 0.1 to 2 μM pulsed peptides, providing a novel estimate of the level at which endogenously processed HCV epitopes are presented on HCV-infected cells. While HCV-specific CD8 T-cell activation with cytolytic and antiviral effects was blunted by PD-L1 expression on HCV-infected Huh7.5A2 cells, resulting in the improved viability of Huh7.5A2 cells, PD-1 blockade reversed this effect, producing enhanced cytolytic elimination of HCV-infected Huh7.5A2 cells. Our findings, obtained using an infectious HCVcc system, show that the HCV-specific CD8 T-cell function is modulated by antigen expression levels, the percentage of HCV-infected cells, and the PD-1/PD-L1 pathways and has antiviral and cytotoxic effects.IMPORTANCE We developed several novel molecular and immunological tools to study the interactions among HCV, HCV-infected hepatocytes, and HCV-specific CD8 T cells. Using these tools, we show the level at which HCV-infected hepatoma cells present endogenously processed HCV epitopes to HCV-specific CD8 T cells with antiviral and cytotoxic effects. We also show the marked protective effect of PD-L1 expression on HCV-infected hepatoma cells against HCV-specific CD8 T cells.