Analysis of the transcriptome and immune function of monocytes during IFN alpha-based therapy in chronic HCV revealed induction of TLR7 responsiveness

Although in vitro studies have been performed to dissect the mechanism of action of IFN alpha, detailed in vivo studies on the long-term effects of IFN alpha on monocytes have not been performed. Here we examined peripheral blood from 14 chronic HCV patients at baseline and 12 weeks after start of IFN alpha-based therapy. Monocytes were phenotyped by flow-cytometry and their function evaluated upon TLR stimulation and assessed by multiplex cytokine assays. During therapy of HCV patients, monocytes displayed a hyperactive state as evidenced by increased TLR-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, as well as enhanced CD69 and CD83 mRNA and protein expression. Moreover, monocytes from 8 patients at baseline and 12 weeks after start of IFN alpha-based therapy were transcriptomically profiled by high throughput RNA-sequencing. Detailed RNA-seq analysis of monocytes showed significant ISG mRNA induction during therapy. Importantly, IFN alpha-based therapy activated TLR7 signaling pathways, as demonstrated by up-regulated expression of TLR7, MyD88, and IRF7 mRNA, whereas other TLR family members as well as CD1c, CLEC4C, and CLEC9A were not induced. The induction of TLR7 responsiveness of monocytes by IFN alpha in vivo in HCV patients is relevant for the development of TLR7 agonists that are currently under development as a promising immunotherapeutic compounds to treat chronic viral hepatitis. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.