Analysis of T cell receptor Vbeta gene usage during the course of disease in patients with chronic hepatitis B

High-Throughput Analysis of the T Cell Receptor Beta Chain Repertoire in PBMCs from Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with HBeAg Seroconversion

T lymphocytes are the most important immune cells that affect both the development and treatment of hepatitis B. We used high-throughput sequencing to determine the diversity in the V and J regions of the TCRβ chain in 4 chronic hepatitis B patients before and after HBeAg seroconversion. Here, we demonstrate that the 4 patients expressed Vβ12-4 at the highest frequencies of 10.6%, 9.2%, 17.5%, and 7.5%, and Vβ28 was the second most common, with frequencies of 7.8%, 6.7%, 5.3%, and 10.9%, respectively. No significant changes were observed following seroconversion. With regard to the Jβ gene, Jβ2-1 was the most commonly expressed in the 4 patients at frequencies of 5.8%, 6.5%, 11.3%, and 7.3%, respectively. Analysis of the V-J region genes revealed several differences, including significant increases in the expression levels of V7-2-01-J2-1, V12-4-J1-1, and V28-1-J1-5 and a decrease in that of V19-01-J2-3. These results illustrate the presence of biased TCRVβ and Jβ gene expression in the chronic hepatitis B patients. TRBVβ12-4, Vβ28, Jβ2-1, V7-2-01-J2-1, V12-4-J1-1, and V28-1-J1-5 may be associated with the development and treatment of CHB.

Profiling the repertoire of T-cell receptor beta-chain variable genes in peripheral blood lymphocytes from subjects who have recovered from acute hepatitis B virus infection

The profile of T-cell receptor beta-chain variable (TRBV) genes usually skews in subjects with virus infection or cancer. The gene melting spectral pattern (GMSP) can be used to determine the profile of the TRBV gene family. To explore the portrait of the TRBV family in peripheral blood lymphocytes from subjects who have recovered from acute hepatitis B virus infection (AHI), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were separated and further sorted into CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subsets. The molecular features of the TRBV complementary determining region 3 (CDR3) motifs were determined using GMSP analysis. When aGMSP profile showed a single peak, the monoclonally expanded TRBV gene was cloned and sequenced. Skewed expansions of multiple TRBV genes were observed among the CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subsets and the PBMCs. The frequency of monoclonally expanded TRBV genes in the CD8+ T-cell subset was significantly higher than that of the CD4+ T-cell subset and the PBMCs. Compared to other members of the TRBV gene family, TRBV11, BV15 and BV20 were predominantly expressed in the repertoire of peripheral blood lymphocytes in recovered AHI subjects. The relatively conserved amino acid motifs of TRBV5.1 and BV20 CDR3 were also detected in the CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subsets. These results demonstrate the presence of multiple biased TRBV families in recovered AHI subjects. TRBV11, BV15 and BV20, especially from the CD8+ T-cell subset, may be relevant to the pathogenesis of subjects with AHI. The preferentially selected TRBV5.1 and BV20 with the relatively conserved CDR3 motif may be potential targets for personalized treatments of chronic HBV infection.

Observations of TCRVβ Gene Expression in Rats with Dampness Syndrome

Environmental dampness is one factor which can cause human diseases. The effects of exposure to humidity on human immune function are diverse and numerous. In the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), dampness is defined as one of the major pathogenic factors in the human body. It is divided into “external dampness” and “internal dampness.” However the molecular mechanism leading to humidity-induced immunosuppression is obscure. In the present study, we investigated the expression of the T-cell antigen receptor variable β (TCRVβ) subfamilies in rats which were fed in different humid environment. And the expression levels of the TCRVβ subfamilies were detected using FQ-PCR. We found that the dampness might reduce the immunological recognition function of rats. And the obstruction of the immunological recognition function might be caused by internal dampness rather than external dampness.

Differential expansion of T-cell receptor variable beta subsets after antigenic stimulation in patients with different outcomes of hepatitis C infection

Persistent antigenic stimulation during chronic hepatitis C may alter the T-cell receptor variable chain beta (TCR BV) repertoire as well as the cytokine responses of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific T lymphocytes. We analysed the distribution of the TCR BV subsets 2.1, 3.1, 5.1, 6.1, 8, 13.1, 13.6, 14.1, 17.1, 21.3 in relation to intracytoplasmic expression of interleukin-2, interferon-gamma, interleukin-4 and interleukin-10. Using flow cytometry, CD45RO+ memory T cells of 27 patients with chronic hepatitis C, eight patients with resolved HCV infection and 16 non-HCV-related controls were studied with and without stimulation by the HCV core, NS3, NS4, NS5a and NS5b proteins. Patients with chronic and resolved hepatitis C differed by larger basal TCR BV2.1+, BV6.1+, BV17.1+ and BV21.3+ subsets in chronic hepatitis C, which were correlated to the numbers of T cells with spontaneous interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma production (r=0.51-0.73, P<0.05). Upon HCV-specific stimulation these subsets did not expand, whereas a marked in vitro expansion of TCR BV8+ T cells in response to all HCV proteins was selectively noted in chronic hepatitis C (P<0.05). This expansion of TCR BV8+ memory T cells was significantly correlated to HCV-induced interleukin-10 expression (r=0.58-0.98, P<0.01). Thus, differential involvement of selected TCR BV subsets may be related to the outcome of HCV infection.