Frequencies and Characterization of HBV-specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes in Self-limited and Chronic Hepatitis B Viral Infection in China
10.1007/s11596-009-0508-3
- Author:
YANG XINXING
1
;
HAO YOUHUA
;
LIU ZHI
;
CHEN LING
;
DING HONGHUI
;
ZHAO XIPING
;
LU MENGJI
;
YANG DONGLIANG
Author Information
1. Division of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
- Keywords:
hepatitis B virus;
cytotoxic T lymphocyte;
HLA-A*0201
- From:
Journal of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Medical Sciences)
2009;29(5):567-574
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are believed to play a major role in viral clearance and disease pathogenesis during HBV infection. To clarify the differ-ences in host immune responses between self-limited and chronic HBV infections, we constructed three HLA-A*0201/HBV tetramers with immunodominant epitopes of core18-27, polymerase 575-583 and envelope 335-343, and analyzed the HBV-specific CTLs in peripheral blood mononu-clear cells (PBMCs) from patients infected with HBV. The frequencies and expansion ability of HBV-specific CD8+ T cells in most self-limited HBV infected individuals were higher than those in chronic HBV-infected patients. HBV-specific CD8+ T cells could be induced by in vitro peptide stimulation from chronic patients with a low level of serum HBV-DNA but not from those with a high level of serum HBV-DNA. In chronic infection, no significant correlation was found either between the frequencies of HBV-specific CD8+ T cells and the viral load, or between the frequencies and the levels of alanine transaminase. Our results suggested that the frequencies of HBV-specific CTLs are not the main determinant of immune-mediated protection in chronic HBV infection and immuno-therapeutic approaches should be aimed at not only boosting a HBV-specific CD8+T response but also improving its function.
