Both serum IL-7 and CD127 expression on CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells was significantly reduced in chronic HCV-infected patients, which was negatively correlated with HCV RNA.
Whereas IL-7-stimulated CD56<sup>bright</sup> NK cell degranulation appeared intact in all cohorts, we observed impaired IL-7-activated NK cell cytolytic function in HCV- and HIV-infected subjects.
IRF2, but not IRF1, is downregulated in cells with HCV genotype 1b replicon and this was accompanied by decreased expression of IL-7 and IL-15Rα, a defect reversed by overexpressing IRF2.
The aim of this study was to examine and compare T cell subsets including recent thymic emigrants (RTE), naive, memory, senescent, apoptotic and IL-7 receptor α (CD127) expressing CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells as well as telomere length and interferon-γ production in HCV-infected patients with (n = 25) and without (n = 26) fibrosis as well as in healthy controls (n = 24).