IMMUNE-RESPONSE TO EPITOPES OF HEPATITIS-C VIRUS (HCV) STRUCTURAL PROTEINS IN HCV-INFECTED HUMANS AND CHIMPANZEES

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected humans and chimpanzees were studied f or reactivity with linear epitopes in HCV H strain structural proteins . In 10 HCV-infected patients, epitopes were mostly mapped to the caps id and El proteins but not to E2. However, serum from 1 HCV-infected b lood donor with a high anti-capsid titer reacted with multiple epitope s including E2. By contrast, antibody to capsid epitopes was seen in s era from HCV-rechallenged chimpanzees but not from chronically infecte d animals. No reactivity was observed to GOR epitope in chimpanzees, w hile 6 of 11 human subjects reacted with this host-coded antigen. Reac tivity to rare epitopes in E2 was seen in chimpanzees with chronic and self-limited infections, Reactivity to one peptide of E1 (aa 316-329) was observed in 10 of 11 sera from HCV;infected humans and 11 of 15 c himpanzee sera. However, reactivity to this epitope was also seen in n ormal chimpanzees and in 6 (7.1%) of 84 uninfected human subjects.