1Laboratory of Viral Immunopathology, Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Parma, Parma, Italy.
2Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit, Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Protein Engineering, Department of Life Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
3Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine-DIMES, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
4Center for Life Nanoscience Laboratory IIT-CNLS, Sapienza University Rome, Italy.
5Unit of Infectious Diseases, IRCCS-Azienda Ospedaliera S. Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
61st Division of Gastroenterology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
7Department of Internal Medicine (DMISM), Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
8Cancer Research Center of Lyon (CRCL)-INSERM U1052, Lyon, France.
9Biopharmanet-Tec Laboratory, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
10Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
AbstractHepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific CD8 T cells are functionally exhausted in chronic hepatitis B infection, and this condition can be corrected only partially through the modulation of inhibitory pathways, which suggests that a more complex molecular interplay underlies T cell exhaustion. To gain broader insight into this process and identify additional targets for the restoration of T cell function, we compared the transcriptome profiles of HBV-specific CD8 T cells from patients with acute and chronic disease with those of HBV-specific CD8 T cells from patients able to resolve HBV infection spontaneously and influenza (FLU)-specific CD8 T cells from healthy participants. The results indicate that exhausted HBV-specific CD8 T cells are markedly impaired at multiple levels and show substantial downregulation of various cellular processes centered on extensive mitochondrial alterations. A notable improvement of mitochondrial and antiviral CD8 functions was elicited by mitochondrion-targeted antioxidants, which suggests a central role for reactive oxygen species (ROS) in T cell exhaustion. Thus, mitochondria represent promising targets for novel reconstitution therapies to treat chronic hepatitis B infection.
1病毒免疫病理学实验室,传染病和肝病学单位,帕尔马,意大利帕尔马Azienda Ospedaliero大学。
2Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Unit,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Protein Engineering,Department of Life Sciences,Parma,Parma,Italy。
意大利博洛尼亚大学,实验,诊断和特殊医学的DIMES。
4生命中心纳米科学实验室IIT-CNLS,Sapienza大学罗马,意大利。
5Unit of Infectious Diseases,IRCCS-Azienda Ospedaliera S.Maria Nuova,Reggio Emilia,Italy。
61st Division of Gastroenterology,Fondazione IRCCS Ca'Granda,Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico,Universitàdegli Studi di Milano,Milan,Italy。
7内科学部(DMISM),Sapienza大学,罗马,意大利。
里昂法国研究中心(CRCL)-INSERM U1052,里昂,法国。
Biopharmanet-Tec Laboratory,Parma大学,帕尔马,意大利。
10意大利帕尔马帕尔马大学医学与外科系。