IL10 and viral infectious disease: In conclusion, our results show that expression of a viral protein by hepatocytes can induce a state of active peripheral tolerance, mediated by IL-10-expressing Tregs, sufficient to limit an antiviral T-cell response and lead to the establishment of a chronic viral infection, which suggests that interventions aimed at depleting or silencing Tregs could be useful for the treatment of patients chronically infected with hepatotropic viruses.