Fine positioning and effector function of T cells recruited to the HCV infected liver

大多数感染丙型肝炎病毒(丙型肝炎病毒)的患者无法产生有效的免疫反应并清除病毒，因此发展为终生(慢性)感染。慢性感染患者肝脏中病毒的持续存在导致大量免疫细胞，特别是T细胞从血液中招募到肝脏，在那里它们既参与病毒控制(但不参与病毒清除)，又参与肝脏损伤。观察到的组织损伤程度和疾病进展的速度可能与招募的T细胞的类型、功能和在肝脏中的位置有关。这个项目的目的是确定T细胞在肝脏中的精细定位所涉及的因素，并建立T细胞募集、功能和肝脏中丙型肝炎病毒疾病进展之间的关系。

The majority of patients who become infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are unable to mount an effective immune response and clear the virus and therefore develop lifelong (chronic) infection. The persistence of virus in the liver of patients with chronic infection results in the recruitment of significant numbers of immune cells, notably T cells, from the bloodstream into the liver where they are involved in both viral control (but not viral clearance) and liver injury. The level of tissue injury observed and the speed of disease progression may be linked to the type of T cells recruited, their function, and their position in the liver. The aims of this project are to determine the factors involved in the fine positioning of T cells in the liver and establish a relationship between T cell recruitment, function, and progression of HCV disease in the liver.