- 现金
- 62111 元
- 精华
- 26
- 帖子
- 30437
- 注册时间
- 2009-10-5
- 最后登录
- 2022-12-28
|
Research Article
Decades after recovery from hepatitis B and HBsAg clearance the CD8+ T cell response against HBV core is nearly undetectable
Helenie Kefalakes1, 2, Christoph Jochum2, Gudrun Hilgard2, Alisan Kahraman2, Anna Margarethe Bohrer3, Nicolai El Hindy3, Falko Markus Heinemann4, Jens Verheyen1, Guido Gerken2, Michael Roggendorf5, Joerg Timm1, 6, ,
1 Institute of Virology, University of Duisburg-Essen, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
2 Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
3 Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
4 Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
5 Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
6 Institute of Virology, Heinrich-Heine-University, University Hospital, Düsseldorf, Germany
Received 15 August 2014, Revised 16 January 2015, Accepted 23 January 2015, Available online 31 January 2015
doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2015.01.030
Get rights and content
Background & Aims
CD8+ T cells are an essential component of a successful immune response against hepatitis B virus (HBV). Patients who spontaneously clear HBsAg after acute HBV infection have a strong CD8+ T cell immune response, predominantly directed against the HBV core protein (HBcAg). However, the fate and phenotype of HBcAg-specific CD8+ T cells after immune control are unclear.
Methods
The CD8+ T cell immune response against HBV core was determined in 65 patients with chronic HBV infection, 16 patients after recovery from acute HBV infection, and four patients with acute HBV infection utilizing overlapping peptides and HLA class I/peptide-multimers.
Results
Patients who had cleared HBsAg >30 years ago had significantly weaker CD8+ T cell responses after antigen-specific expansion compared to patients who had cleared the virus <10 years ago and patients with HBeAg negative chronic infection and low viral load (<2000 IU/ml; p <0.01). Also directly ex vivo, patients who had cleared the HBsAg >30 years ago had less HBV-specific CD8+ T cells compared to patients with HBeAg negative chronic infection (p = 0.0025). In patients with acute HBV infection, the frequency of HBc-specific CD8+ T cells continued to decline after clearance of HBV-DNA and HBsAg even at a time when ALT levels had already normalized (p = 0.0313).
Conclusions
The frequency of HBcAg-specific CD8+ T cells continuously declines after HBsAg clearance. In line with clinical observations, this suggests that humoral and not CD8+ T cell immune responses mainly contribute to prevention of HBV reactivation decades after HBsAg clearance.
Abbreviations
HBV, hepatitis B virus; HBcAg, hepatitis B core antigen; HLA, human leucocyte antigen; HBsAg, hepatitis B surface antigen; HBeAg, hepatitis B excretory antigen; HBc, hepatitis B core; ALT, alanine amino-transferase; Anti-HBs, antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen; cccDNA, covalently closed circular deoxyribonucleic acid; HCV, hepatitis C virus; anti-HBc, antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cells; CEF, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, flu; CMV, cytomegalovirus; EBV, Epstein-Barr virus; AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; IL-2, interleukin-2; IFN-γ, interferon-γ; ICS, intracellular cytokine staining; PerCP-Cy 5.5, peridinin-chlorophyl-cyanin 5.5; PE, phycoerythrin; APC, allophycocyanin; FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; anti-HCV, antibodies to hepatitis C virus; Bim, Bcl2-interacting molecule; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; PD-1, programmed death 1; CTLA-4, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4; Tim-3, T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain; CXCR-4, chemokine receptor-4
Keywords
CD8+ T cell response; HBV core; HBcAg; HBsAg; Anti-HBs
Corresponding author. Address: Institute of Virology, Heinrich-Heine-University, University Hospital, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany. Tel.: +49 211 81 12225; fax: +49 211 81 10792.
Copyright © 2015 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
|
|