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Wang J, Li Q, Qiu Y, Kitanovski S, Wang C, Zhang C, Li F, Li X, Zhang Z, Huang L, Zhang J, Hoffmann D, Lu M, Lu H. Cell-type-specific expression analysis of liver transcriptomics with clinical parameters to decipher the cause of intrahepatic inflammation in chronic hepatitis B. IMETA 2024; 3:e221. [PMID: 39135698 PMCID: PMC11316924 DOI: 10.1002/imt2.221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Functional cure for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains challenging due to the lack of direct intervention methods for hepatic inflammation. Multi-omics research offers a promising approach to understand hepatic inflammation mechanisms in CHB. A Bayesian linear model linked gene expression with clinical parameters, and population-specific expression analysis (PSEA) refined bulk gene expression into specific cell types across different clinical phases. These models were integrated into our analysis of key factors like inflammatory cells, immune activation, T cell exhaustion, chemokines, receptors, and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Validation through multi-immune staining in liver specimens from CHB patients bolstered our findings. In CHB patients, increased gene expression related to immune cell activation and migration was noted. Marker genes of macrophages, T cells, immune-negative regulators, chemokines, and ISGs showed a positive correlation with serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels but not hepatitis B virus DNA levels. The PSEA model confirmed T cells as the source of exhausted regulators, while macrophages primarily contributed to chemokine expression. Upregulated ISGs (ISG20, IFI16, TAP2, GBP1, PSMB9) in the hepatitis phase were associated with T cell and macrophage infiltration and positively correlated with ALT levels. Conversely, another set of ISGs (IFI44, ISG15, IFI44L, IFI6, MX1) mainly expressed by hepatocytes and B cells showed no correlation with ALT levels. Our study presents a multi-omics analysis integrating bulk transcriptomic, single-cell sequencing data, and clinical data from CHB patients to decipher the cause of intrahepatic inflammation in CHB. The findings confirm that macrophages secrete chemokines like CCL20, recruiting exhausted T cells into liver tissue; concurrently, hepatocyte innate immunity is suppressed, hindering the antiviral effects of ISGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Infectious DiseasesThe Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
- Institute of Virology, University Hospital of EssenUniversity of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Fifth People's Hospital of WuxiJiangnan UniversityWuxiChina
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Center for Medical Biotechnology (ZMB)University of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
| | - Qian Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Infectious DiseasesThe Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
- Institute of Virology, University Hospital of EssenUniversity of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
| | - Yuanwang Qiu
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Fifth People's Hospital of WuxiJiangnan UniversityWuxiChina
| | - Simo Kitanovski
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Center for Medical Biotechnology (ZMB)University of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
| | - Chen Wang
- National Clinical Research Center for Infectious DiseasesThe Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
| | - Chenxia Zhang
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Fifth People's Hospital of WuxiJiangnan UniversityWuxiChina
| | - Fahong Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, Department of Infectious DiseasesNational Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Xiaoguang Li
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Fifth People's Hospital of WuxiJiangnan UniversityWuxiChina
| | - Zhenfeng Zhang
- School of Public Health and Emergency ManagementSouthern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
| | - Lihua Huang
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Fifth People's Hospital of WuxiJiangnan UniversityWuxiChina
| | - Jiming Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, Department of Infectious DiseasesNational Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Huashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghaiChina
| | - Daniel Hoffmann
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Center for Medical Biotechnology (ZMB)University of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
| | - Mengji Lu
- National Clinical Research Center for Infectious DiseasesThe Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
- Institute of Virology, University Hospital of EssenUniversity of Duisburg‐EssenEssenGermany
- Clinical Medical Research Center, The Fifth People's Hospital of WuxiJiangnan UniversityWuxiChina
| | - Hongzhou Lu
- National Clinical Research Center for Infectious DiseasesThe Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen and The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhenChina
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Feng Z, Fu J, Tang L, Bao C, Liu H, Liu K, Yang T, Yuan JH, Zhou CB, Zhang C, Xu R, Wang FS. HBeAg induces neutrophils activation impairing NK cells function in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Hepatol Int 2024; 18:1122-1134. [PMID: 38829576 DOI: 10.1007/s12072-024-10689-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of neutrophils in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been a subject of debate due to their involvement in antiviral responses and immune regulation. This study aimed to elucidate the neutrophil characteristics in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS Through flow cytometry and ribonucleic acid-sequencing analysis, the phenotypes and counts of neutrophils were analyzed in patients with CHB. Moreover, the effects of HBeAg on neutrophils and the corresponding pattern recognition receptors were identified. Simultaneously, the cross-talk between neutrophils and natural killer (NK) cells was investigated. RESULTS Neutrophils were activated in patients with CHB, characterized by higher expression levels of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), cluster of differentiation 86, and interleukin-8, and lower levels of CXC motif chemokine receptor (CXCR) 1 and CXCR2. Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) partially induces neutrophil activation through the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). A consistent upregulation of the TLR2 and HBeAg expression was observed in patients with CHB. Notably, the genes encoding molecules pivotal for NK-cell function upon NK receptor engagement enriched in neutrophils after HBeAg activation. The HBeAg-activated neutrophils demonstrated the ability to decrease the production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in NK cells, while the PD-1 and PD-L1 pathways partially mediated the immunosuppression. CONCLUSIONS The immunosuppression of neutrophils induced by HBeAg suggests a novel pathogenic mechanism contributing to immune tolerance in patients with CHB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqian Feng
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junliang Fu
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Lili Tang
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Chunmei Bao
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Honghong Liu
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Kai Liu
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Yang
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Jin-Hong Yuan
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Chun-Bao Zhou
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Zhang
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Ruonan Xu
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China.
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Fu-Sheng Wang
- Senior Department of Infectious Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, China.
- The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
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Yu X, Zheng Y, Huang R, Dai X, Kang G, Wang X, Yan G, Ding B, Zheng M, Xu Y, Zong L. Restoration of CD3 +CD56 + NKT-like cell function by TIGIT blockade in inactive carrier and immune tolerant patients of chronic hepatitis B virus infection. Eur J Immunol 2024; 54:e2451046. [PMID: 38778501 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202451046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) virus infection, which can be divided into immune-tolerant (IT), immune-active (IA), inactive carrier (IC) phases, and HBeAg-negative hepatitis (ENEG), can induce liver cirrhosis and eventually hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). CD3+CD56+ NKT-like cells play an important role in antiviral immune response. However, the mechanism of NKT-like cells to mediate immune tolerance remains largely elusive. In this study, we observed circulating NKT-like cells from IC and IT CHB patients were phenotypically and functionally impaired, manifested by increased expression of inhibitory receptor TIGIT and decreased capacity of secreting antiviral cytokines. Besides, TIGIT+ NKT-like cells of IC and IT CHB patients expressed lower levels of cytotoxic cytokines than the TIGIT- subset. Furthermore, increased expression of CD155, the ligand of TIGIT, on plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) was detected in IC and IT CHB patients. Importantly, the co-culture of NKT-like cells and pDCs showed that NKT-like cells restored their antiviral ability after TIGIT blockade upon HBV peptide stimulation in IC and IT CHB patients. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the TIGIT pathway may mediate immune tolerance in IT CHB patients and lead to functional impairment in IC patients, indicating that TIGIT may be a potential therapeutic checkpoint for immunotherapy of CHB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Yu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yuanling Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Ruoyu Huang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xiaoran Dai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Guijie Kang
- Inflammation and Immune-Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- Department of Basic and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xuefu Wang
- Inflammation and Immune-Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- Department of Basic and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Guoxiu Yan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Hefei, China
| | - Biran Ding
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Meijuan Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yuanhong Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Lu Zong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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Xing T, Wang X, He S. A Mendelian randomization study investigating causal links between gut microbiota or metabolites and chronic hepatitis B. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1398254. [PMID: 39114506 PMCID: PMC11303287 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1398254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective This study aimed to explore the potential causal relationship between the gut microbiota and/or its metabolites and the progression of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Method The gut microbiota was used as the exposure factor. The training set exposure data were obtained from the China Nucleotide Sequence Archive (CNSA). Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from Asia were used as the outcome variables. Outcome data for both the training and validation sets were sourced from the GWAS Catalog database. A dual-sample Mendelian randomization approach was used to analyze the causal relationships, with the inverse variance-weighted method serving as the main analytical strategy. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the robustness of Mendelian randomization analysis results. Result In the training set database, analysis using the inverse variance-weighted method revealed a positive correlation between Fusobacterium varium and chronic hepatitis B [OR = 1.122, 95% CI (1.016, 1.240), p = 0.022]. Conversely, Veillonella parvula exhibited a negative correlation with chronic hepatitis B [OR = 0.917, 95% CI (0.852, 0.987), p = 0.021]. Sensitivity analysis revealed no evidence of pleiotropy and heterogeneity. No gut microbiota metabolites with a causal effect on chronic hepatitis B were identified. Additionally, no associations between the gut microbiota and the progression of chronic hepatitis B were found in the validation data from the European cohort. Conclusion This study suggests that F. varium may facilitate the progression of chronic hepatitis B, whereas V. parvula may impede it. No causal relationships between gut microbiota metabolites and chronic hepatitis B were established.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongjing Xing
- Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University, Linhai, Zhejiang, China
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Narmada BC, Khakpoor A, Shirgaonkar N, Narayanan S, Aw PPK, Singh M, Ong KH, Owino CO, Ng JWT, Yew HC, Binte Mohamed Nasir NS, Au VB, Sng R, Kaliaperumal N, Khine HHTW, di Tocco FC, Masayuki O, Naikar S, Ng HX, Chia SL, Seah CXY, Alnawaz MH, Wai CLY, Tay AYL, Mangat KS, Chew V, Yu W, Connolly JE, Periyasamy G, Plissonnier ML, Levrero M, Lim SG, DasGupta R. Single-cell landscape of functionally cured chronic hepatitis B patients reveals activation of innate and altered CD4-CTL-driven adaptive immunity. J Hepatol 2024; 81:42-61. [PMID: 38423478 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss or functional cure (FC) is considered the optimal therapeutic outcome for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, the immune-pathological biomarkers and underlying mechanisms of FC remain unclear. In this study we comprehensively interrogate disease-associated cell states identified within intrahepatic tissue and matched PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) from patients with CHB or after FC, at the resolution of single cells, to provide novel insights into putative mechanisms underlying FC. METHODS We combined single-cell transcriptomics (single-cell RNA sequencing) with multiparametric flow cytometry-based immune phenotyping, and multiplexed immunofluorescence to elucidate the immunopathological cell states associated with CHB vs. FC. RESULTS We found that the intrahepatic environment in CHB and FC displays specific cell identities and molecular signatures that are distinct from those found in matched PBMCs. FC is associated with the emergence of an altered adaptive immune response marked by CD4 cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and an activated innate response represented by liver-resident natural killer cells, specific Kupffer cell subtypes and marginated neutrophils. Surprisingly, we found MHC class II-expressing hepatocytes in patients achieving FC, as well as low but persistent levels of covalently closed circular DNA and pregenomic RNA, which may play an important role in FC. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides conceptually novel insights into the immuno-pathological control of HBV cure, and opens exciting new avenues for clinical management, biomarker discovery and therapeutic development. We believe that the discoveries from this study, as it relates to the activation of an innate and altered immune response that may facilitate sustained, low-grade inflammation, may have broader implications in the resolution of chronic viral hepatitis. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS This study dissects the immuno-pathological cell states associated with functionally cured chronic hepatitis B (defined by the loss of HBV surface antigen or HBsAg). We identified the sustained presence of very low viral load, accessory antigen-presenting hepatocytes, adaptive-memory-like natural killer cells, and the emergence of helper CD4 T cells with cytotoxic or effector-like signatures associated with functional cure, suggesting previously unsuspected alterations in the adaptive immune response, as well as a key role for the innate immune response in achieving or maintaining functional cure. Overall, the insights generated from this study may provide new avenues for the development of alternative therapies as well as patient surveillance for better clinical management of chronic hepatitis B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balakrishnan Chakrapani Narmada
- Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Cancer Evolution, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), 60 Biopolis St., #02-01 Genome, Singapore 138672; Experimental Drug Development Centre, A∗STAR, 10 Biopolis Way, Chromos, Singapore 138670, Singapore
| | - Atefeh Khakpoor
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Niranjan Shirgaonkar
- Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Cancer Evolution, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), 60 Biopolis St., #02-01 Genome, Singapore 138672
| | - Sriram Narayanan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A∗STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Pauline Poh Kim Aw
- Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Cancer Evolution, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), 60 Biopolis St., #02-01 Genome, Singapore 138672
| | - Malay Singh
- Bioinformatics Institute, A∗STAR, 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
| | - Kok Haur Ong
- Bioinformatics Institute, A∗STAR, 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
| | - Collins Oduor Owino
- Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Cancer Evolution, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), 60 Biopolis St., #02-01 Genome, Singapore 138672; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jane Wei Ting Ng
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hui Chuing Yew
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Veonice Bijin Au
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A∗STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Reina Sng
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A∗STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Nivashini Kaliaperumal
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A∗STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Htet Htet Toe Wai Khine
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Otsuka Masayuki
- Translational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore 169856, Singapore
| | - Shamita Naikar
- Translational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore 169856, Singapore
| | - Hui Xin Ng
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Su Li Chia
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Myra Hj Alnawaz
- Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore
| | - Chris Lee Yoon Wai
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Amy Yuh Ling Tay
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kamarjit Singh Mangat
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Valerie Chew
- Translational Immunology Institute (TII), SingHealth-DukeNUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore 169856, Singapore
| | - Weimiao Yu
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A∗STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Singapore; Bioinformatics Institute, A∗STAR, 30 Biopolis Street, Matrix, Singapore 138671, Singapore
| | - John Edward Connolly
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A∗STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA; Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Giridharan Periyasamy
- Experimental Drug Development Centre, A∗STAR, 10 Biopolis Way, Chromos, Singapore 138670, Singapore
| | | | - Massimo Levrero
- Cancer Research Center of Lyon (CRCL), INSERM U1052, CNRS UMR5286, Lyon, France; Department of Hepatology, Hôpital Croix-Rousse, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France; University of Lyon Claude Bernard 1 (UCLB1), Lyon, France; Department of Medicine SCIAC and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) Center for Life Nanosciences (CLNS), University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
| | - Seng Gee Lim
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A∗STAR, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Singapore; Department of Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore.
| | - Ramanuj DasGupta
- Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Cancer Evolution, Genome Institute of Singapore, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A∗STAR), 60 Biopolis St., #02-01 Genome, Singapore 138672.
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Batra N, Gaidhane SA, Kumar S, Acharya S. Outcome Predictors of Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure: A Narrative Review. Cureus 2024; 16:e61655. [PMID: 38966452 PMCID: PMC11223737 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.61655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Complications of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) include increased short-term mortality. Extrahepatic organ failures result from chronic liver disease and acute hepatic injury. This combination characterizes end-stage liver disease. Its rapid progression makes it challenging for hepatologists and intensivists to treat. The varied definitions of this condition lead to varied clinical presentations. Hepatic or extrahepatic failures are more prevalent in chronic hepatitis B or cirrhosis patients who receive an additional injury. Numerous intensity parameters and prognosis ratings, including those for hepatitis B virus (HBV), have been developed and verified for various patients and causes of the disease. Liver regeneration, liver transplantation (LT), or antiviral therapy for HBV-related ACLF are the main treatment aims for various organ failures. LT is the best treatment for HBV-ACLF. In some HBV-related ACLF patients, nucleos(t)ide analogs and artificial liver assistance may enhance survival. Combining epidemiological and clinical studies, this review updates our understanding of HBV-ACLF's definition, diagnosis, epidemiology, etiology, therapy, and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nitish Batra
- Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, IND
| | - Shilpa A Gaidhane
- Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, IND
| | - Sunil Kumar
- Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, IND
| | - Sourya Acharya
- Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, IND
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7
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Hou L, Zhao J, Cai L, Jin L, Liu B, Li S, Yang J, Ji T, Li S, Shi L, Shen B, Yu H, Wang Y, Cai X. HBV PreC interacts with SUV39H1 to induce viral replication by blocking the proteasomal degradation of viral polymerase. J Med Virol 2024; 96:e29607. [PMID: 38628076 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) seropositivity during the natural history of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is known to coincide with significant increases in serum and intrahepatic HBV DNA levels. However, the precise underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that PreC (HBeAg precursor) genetic ablation leads to reduced viral replication both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, PreC impedes the proteasomal degradation of HBV polymerase, promoting viral replication. We discovered that PreC interacts with SUV39H1, a histone methyltransferase, resulting in a reduction in the expression of Cdt2, an adaptor protein of CRL4 E3 ligase targeting HBV polymerase. SUV39H1 induces H3K9 trimethylation of the Cdt2 promoter in a PreC-induced manner. CRISPR-mediated knockout of endogenous SUV39H1 or pharmaceutical inhibition of SUV39H1 decreases HBV loads in the mouse liver. Additionally, genetic depletion of Cdt2 in the mouse liver abrogates PreC-related HBV replication. Interestingly, a negative correlation of intrahepatic Cdt2 with serum HBeAg and HBV DNA load was observed in CHB patient samples. Our study thus sheds light on the mechanistic role of PreC in inducing HBV replication and identifies potential therapeutic targets for HBV treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidan Hou
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jie Zhao
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liuxin Cai
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ling Jin
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Hangzhou, China
| | - Boqiang Liu
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shijie Li
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jin Yang
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tong Ji
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Hangzhou, China
| | - Songyi Li
- Animal Center, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liang Shi
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Hangzhou, China
| | - Bo Shen
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hong Yu
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yifan Wang
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiujun Cai
- Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Medical Research Center of Minimally Invasive Diagnosis and Treatment of Abdominal Diseases, Hangzhou, China
- National Engineering Research Center of Innovation and Application of Minimally Invasive Instruments, Hangzhou, China
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8
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Lin HC, Jeng WJ, Liu J, Pan MH, Lee MH, Batrla-Utermann R, Lu SN, Chen CF, Yang HI, Chen CJ. Persistently high HBsAg levels during HBeAg-seropositive stage predict lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2024; 59:993-1002. [PMID: 38410882 DOI: 10.1111/apt.17915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND High hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) level predicts hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with low viral load. The role of longitudinal HBsAg levels in predicting HCC in HBeAg-positive CHB patients remains unknown. METHOD HBeAg-positive CHB participants from the REVEAL-HBV cohort with ≥2 HBsAg measurements before HBeAg seroclearance were enrolled. Group-based trajectory modelling identified distinct HBsAg trajectory groups during a median of 11 years of HBeAg-positive status. Cox regression models were applied for investigating independent predictors of HCC and estimating adjusted hazard ratio (HRadj) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS A total of 319 patients were enrolled and classified by HBsAg trajectory patterns as (A) persistently high group (n = 72): HBsAg persistently ≥104 IU/mL, and (B) non-stationary group (n = 233): low HBsAg at baseline or declining to <104 IU/mL during the follow-up. Group B had higher proportions of abnormal ALT levels, HBV genotype C and basal core mutation than group A (p < 0.05); age at entry and gender were comparable. The annual incidence of HCC in group A and group B were 0.37% and 1.16%, respectively (p = 0.03). In multivariate analysis, age >40 years (HRadj [95% CI] = 4.11 [2.26-7.48]), genotype C (HRadj [95% CI] = 4.39 [1.96-9.81]) and the non-stationary group (HRadj [95% CI] = 3.50 [1.49-8.21]) were independent predictors of HCC. Basal core promoter mutation was the only risk factor of HCC in the persistently high HBsAg group (HRadj [95% CI] = 32.75 [5.41-198.42]). CONCLUSION Patients with persistently high HBsAg levels during HBeAg-seropositive stage represent a unique population with low risk of HCC development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Che Lin
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Juei Jeng
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
- Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Jessica Liu
- Perinatal Epidemiology and Health Outcomes Research Unit, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Stanford University and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Mei-Hung Pan
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Hsuan Lee
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | | | - Sheng-Nan Lu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chuen-Fei Chen
- Mackay Medical College Department of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hwai-I Yang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei City, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Biomedical Translation Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Doctoral Program of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Jen Chen
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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9
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Zheng Q, Sun Q, Yao H, Shi R, Wang C, Ma Z, Xu H, Zhou G, Cheng Z, Xia H. Single-cell landscape identifies the immunophenotypes and microenvironments of HBV-positive and HBV-negative liver cancer. Hepatol Commun 2024; 8:e0364. [PMID: 38251896 PMCID: PMC10805423 DOI: 10.1097/hc9.0000000000000364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HBV infection leads to HCC and affects immunotherapy. We are exploring the tumor ecosystem in HCC to help gain a deeper understanding and design more effective immunotherapy strategies for patients with HCC with or without HBV infection. METHODS Single-cell RNA sequencing series were integrated as a discovery cohort to interrogate the tumor microenvironment of HBV-positive (HBV+) HCC and HBV-negative (HBV-) HCC. We further dissect the intratumoral immune status of HBV+ HCC and HBV- HCC. An independent cohort, including samples treated with immune checkpoint blockade therapy, was used to validate the major finding and investigate the effect of HBV infection on response to immunotherapy. RESULTS The interrogation of tumor microenvironment indicated that regulatory T cells, exhausted CD8+ T cells, and M1-like Macrophage_MMP9 were enriched in HBV+ HCC, while mucosa-associated invariant T cells were enriched in HBV- HCC. All subclusters of T cells showed high expression of immune checkpoint genes in HBV+ HCC. Regulatory T cells enriched in HBV+ HCC also showed more robust immunosuppressive properties, which was confirmed by cross talk between immune cell subsets. The ability of antigen presentation with major histocompatibility complex-II was downregulated in HBV+ HCC and this phenomenon can be reversed by immunotherapy. Two types of HCC also present different responses to immunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS There is a more immunosuppressive and exhausted tumor microenvironment in HBV+ HCC than in HBV- HCC. This in-depth immunophenotyping strategy is critical to understanding the impact of HBV and the HCC immune microenvironment and helping develop more effective treatments in patients with HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zheng
- Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine & Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Antibody Technique of National Health Commission, Jiangsu Antibody Drug Engineering Research Center, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qi Sun
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Hong Yao
- Department of Cancer Biotherapy Center & Cancer Research Institute of Yunnan, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
| | - Ruoyu Shi
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore
| | - Cheng Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Antibody Technique of National Health Commission, Jiangsu Antibody Drug Engineering Research Center, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhijie Ma
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Antibody Technique of National Health Commission, Jiangsu Antibody Drug Engineering Research Center, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Haojun Xu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Antibody Technique of National Health Commission, Jiangsu Antibody Drug Engineering Research Center, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Guoren Zhou
- Jiangsu Cancer Hospital, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhangjun Cheng
- Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine & Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hongping Xia
- Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine & Advanced Institute for Life and Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Antibody Technique of National Health Commission, Jiangsu Antibody Drug Engineering Research Center, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Cancer Biotherapy Center & Cancer Research Institute of Yunnan, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China
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10
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Hu JL, Huang AL. Classifying hepatitis B therapies with insights from covalently closed circular DNA dynamics. Virol Sin 2024; 39:9-23. [PMID: 38110037 PMCID: PMC10877440 DOI: 10.1016/j.virs.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The achievement of a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remains limited to a minority of patients treated with currently approved drugs. The primary objective in developing new anti-HBV drugs is to enhance the functional cure rates for CHB. A critical prerequisite for the functional cure of CHB is a substantial reduction, or even eradication of covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). Within this context, the changes in cccDNA levels during treatment become as a pivotal concern. We have previously analyzed the factors influencing cccDNA dynamics and introduced a preliminary classification of hepatitis B treatment strategies based on these dynamics. In this review, we employ a systems thinking perspective to elucidate the fundamental aspects of the HBV replication cycle and to rationalize the classification of treatment strategies according to their impact on the dynamic equilibrium of cccDNA. Building upon this foundation, we categorize current anti-HBV strategies into two distinct groups and advocate for their combined use to significantly reduce cccDNA levels within a well-defined timeframe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Li Hu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology on Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.
| | - Ai-Long Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology on Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, China.
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11
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Wang Z, Liu N, Yang Y, Tu Z. The novel mechanism facilitating chronic hepatitis B infection: immunometabolism and epigenetic modification reprogramming. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1349867. [PMID: 38288308 PMCID: PMC10822934 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1349867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infections pose a global public health challenge. Despite extensive research on this disease, the intricate mechanisms underlying persistent HBV infection require further in-depth elucidation. Recent studies have revealed the pivotal roles of immunometabolism and epigenetic reprogramming in chronic HBV infection. Immunometabolism have identified as the process, which link cell metabolic status with innate immunity functions in response to HBV infection, ultimately contributing to the immune system's inability to resolve Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB). Within hepatocytes, HBV replication leads to a stable viral covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) minichromosome located in the nucleus, and epigenetic modifications in cccDNA enable persistence of infection. Additionally, the accumulation or depletion of metabolites not only directly affects the function and homeostasis of immune cells but also serves as a substrate for regulating epigenetic modifications, subsequently influencing the expression of antiviral immune genes and facilitating the occurrence of sustained HBV infection. The interaction between immunometabolism and epigenetic modifications has led to a new research field, known as metabolic epigenomics, which may form a mutually reinforcing relationship with CHB. Herein, we review the recent studies on immunometabolism and epigenetic reprogramming in CHB infection and discuss the potential mechanisms of persistent HBV infection. A deeper understanding of these mechanisms will offer novel insights and targets for intervention strategies against chronic HBV infection, thereby providing new hope for the treatment of related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengmin Wang
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Nan Liu
- Institute of Epigenetic Medicine, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Zhengkun Tu
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
- Institute of Liver Diseases, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
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12
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Elkoshi Z. The Eradication of Carcinogenic Viruses in Established Solid Cancers. J Inflamm Res 2023; 16:6227-6239. [PMID: 38145011 PMCID: PMC10749098 DOI: 10.2147/jir.s430315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Carcinogenic viruses (oncoviruses) can initiate cancer, but their impact on established cancer varies. Some of these viruses prolong survival while others shorten it. This study classifies oncoviruses into two categories: viruses which induce a strong CD8+T cell reaction in non-cancerous tissues, and viruses which induce a weak CD8+ T cell reaction in non-cancerous tissues. The classification proves useful in predicting the effect of oncoviruses on the prognosis of solid cancers. Therefore, while eliminating carcinogenic viruses in healthy individuals (for example by immunization) may be important for cancer prevention, this study suggests that only viruses which induce a weak CD8+ T cell reaction should be eradicated in established solid tumors. The model correctly predicts the effect of oncoviruses on survival for six out of seven known oncoviruses, indicating that immune modulation by oncoviruses has a prominent effect on prognosis. It seems that CD8+ T cell response to oncoviruses observed in infected benign tissues is retained in infected tumors. Clinical significance: the effect of oncoviruses on solid cancer prognosis can be predicted with confidence based on immunological responses when clinical data are unavailable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeev Elkoshi
- Research and Development Department, Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Haifa, Israel
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13
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Conceição-Neto N, Pierson W, Vacca M, Beyens M, De Clerck B, Aerts L, Voeten B, De Pooter D, Verschueren L, Dockx K, Vandenberk M, De Troyer E, Verwilt K, Van Hove C, Verslegers M, Bosseler L, Crabbe M, Krishna V, Nájera I, Van Gulck E. Sustained Liver HBsAg Loss and Clonal T- and B-Cell Expansion upon Therapeutic DNA Vaccination Require Low HBsAg Levels. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1825. [PMID: 38140229 PMCID: PMC10747285 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11121825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Suppression of HBV DNA, inhibition of HBV surface (HBsAg) production and therapeutic vaccination to reverse HBV-specific T-cell exhaustion in chronic HBV patients are likely required to achieve a functional cure. In the AAV-HBV mouse model, therapeutic vaccination can be effective in clearing HBV when HBsAg levels are low. Using a single-cell approach, we investigated the liver immune environment with different levels of HBsAg and sustained HBsAg loss through treatment with a GalNAc-HBV-siRNA followed by therapeutic vaccination. METHODS AAV-HBV-transduced C57BL/6 mice were treated with GalNAc-HBV-siRNA to lower HBsAg levels and then vaccinated using a DNA vaccine. We used single-cell RNA and V(D)J sequencing to understand liver immune microenvironment changes. RESULTS GalNAc-HBV-siRNA, followed by therapeutic vaccination, achieved sustained HBsAg loss in all mice. This was accompanied by CD4 follicular helper T-cell induction, polyclonal activation of CD8 T cells and clonal expansion of plasma cells that were responsible for antibody production. CONCLUSIONS This study provides novel insights into liver immune changes at the single-cell level, highlighting the correlation between induced reduction of HBsAg levels and clonal expansion of CD4, CD8 T cells and plasma cells in the liver upon HBV siRNA and subsequent therapeutic vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nádia Conceição-Neto
- Infectious Diseases Discovery, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (N.C.-N.); (M.V.); (B.D.C.); (L.A.); (D.D.P.); (L.V.)
| | - Wim Pierson
- Infectious Diseases Discovery, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (N.C.-N.); (M.V.); (B.D.C.); (L.A.); (D.D.P.); (L.V.)
| | - Maurizio Vacca
- Infectious Diseases Discovery, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (N.C.-N.); (M.V.); (B.D.C.); (L.A.); (D.D.P.); (L.V.)
| | - Matthias Beyens
- Discovery Therapeutics and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (M.B.); (K.V.); (C.V.H.)
| | - Ben De Clerck
- Infectious Diseases Discovery, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (N.C.-N.); (M.V.); (B.D.C.); (L.A.); (D.D.P.); (L.V.)
| | - Liese Aerts
- Infectious Diseases Discovery, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (N.C.-N.); (M.V.); (B.D.C.); (L.A.); (D.D.P.); (L.V.)
| | - Birgit Voeten
- Charles River Laboratories, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium (K.D.); (M.V.)
| | - Dorien De Pooter
- Infectious Diseases Discovery, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (N.C.-N.); (M.V.); (B.D.C.); (L.A.); (D.D.P.); (L.V.)
| | - Lore Verschueren
- Infectious Diseases Discovery, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (N.C.-N.); (M.V.); (B.D.C.); (L.A.); (D.D.P.); (L.V.)
| | - Koen Dockx
- Charles River Laboratories, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium (K.D.); (M.V.)
| | - Mathias Vandenberk
- Charles River Laboratories, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium (K.D.); (M.V.)
| | - Ewoud De Troyer
- SDS Discovery Statistics, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (E.D.T.); (M.C.)
| | - Kato Verwilt
- Discovery Therapeutics and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (M.B.); (K.V.); (C.V.H.)
| | - Carl Van Hove
- Discovery Therapeutics and Molecular Pharmacology, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (M.B.); (K.V.); (C.V.H.)
| | - Mieke Verslegers
- Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety (PSTS) Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (M.V.); (L.B.)
| | - Leslie Bosseler
- Preclinical Sciences and Translational Safety (PSTS) Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (M.V.); (L.B.)
| | - Marjolein Crabbe
- SDS Discovery Statistics, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (E.D.T.); (M.C.)
| | - Vinod Krishna
- Infectious Diseases Discovery, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, 1400 McKean Road, Spring House, PA 19002, USA;
| | - Isabel Nájera
- Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, 1600 Sierra Point Parkway, South San Francisco, CA 94005, USA;
| | - Ellen Van Gulck
- Infectious Diseases Discovery, Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Janssen Research and Development, Turnhoutseweg 30, 2340 Beerse, Belgium; (N.C.-N.); (M.V.); (B.D.C.); (L.A.); (D.D.P.); (L.V.)
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14
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Chua C, Salimzadeh L, Ma AT, Adeyi OA, Seo H, Boukhaled GM, Mehrotra A, Patel A, Ferrando-Martinez S, Robbins SH, La D, Wong D, Janssen HL, Brooks DG, Feld JJ, Gehring AJ. IL-2 produced by HBV-specific T cells as a biomarker of viral control and predictor of response to PD-1 therapy across clinical phases of chronic hepatitis B. Hepatol Commun 2023; 7:e0337. [PMID: 38055623 PMCID: PMC10984660 DOI: 10.1097/hc9.0000000000000337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There are no immunological biomarkers that predict control of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The lack of immune biomarkers raises concerns for therapies targeting PD-1/PD-L1 because they have the potential for immune-related adverse events. Defining specific immune functions associated with control of HBV replication could identify patients likely to respond to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies and achieve a durable functional cure. METHODS We enrolled immunotolerant, HBeAg+ immune-active (IA+), HBeAg- immune-active (IA-), inactive carriers, and functionally cured patients to test ex vivo PD-1 blockade on HBV-specific T cell functionality. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with overlapping peptides covering HBV proteins +/-α-PD-1 blockade. Functional T cells were measured using a 2-color FluoroSpot assay for interferon-γ and IL-2. Ex vivo functional restoration was compared to the interferon response capacity assay, which predicts overall survival in cancer patients receiving checkpoint inhibitors. RESULTS Ex vivo interferon-γ+ responses did not differ across clinical phases. IL-2+ responses were significantly higher in patients with better viral control and preferentially restored with PD-1 blockade. Inactive carrier patients displayed the greatest increase in IL-2 production, which was dominated by CD4 T cell and response to the HBcAg. The interferon response capacity assay significantly correlated with the degree of HBV-specific T cell restoration. CONCLUSIONS IL-2 production was associated with better HBV control and superior to interferon-γ as a marker of T cell restoration following ex vivo PD-1 blockade. Our study suggests that responsiveness to ex vivo PD-1 blockade, or the interferon response capacity assay, may support stratification for α-PD-1 therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conan Chua
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Loghman Salimzadeh
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ann T. Ma
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Liver Unit, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oyedele A. Adeyi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hobin Seo
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Giselle M. Boukhaled
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aman Mehrotra
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anjali Patel
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Scott H. Robbins
- Late Stage Oncology Development, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Danie La
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David Wong
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Harry L.A. Janssen
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - David G. Brooks
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jordan J. Feld
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Adam J. Gehring
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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15
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Bertoletti A, Le Bert N. Quest for immunological biomarkers in the management of CHB patients. Gut 2023; 72:2012-2014. [PMID: 36922017 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2023-329437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Bertoletti
- Emerging Infectious Diseases Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
| | - Nina Le Bert
- Emerging Infectious Diseases Program, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
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16
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Rossi M, Vecchi A, Tiezzi C, Barili V, Fisicaro P, Penna A, Montali I, Daffis S, Fletcher SP, Gaggar A, Medley J, Graupe M, Lad L, Loglio A, Soffredini R, Borghi M, Pollicino T, Musolino C, Alfieri A, Brillo F, Laccabue D, Massari M, Boarini C, Abbati G, Pedrazzi G, Missale G, Lampertico P, Ferrari C, Boni C. Phenotypic CD8 T cell profiling in chronic hepatitis B to predict HBV-specific CD8 T cell susceptibility to functional restoration in vitro. Gut 2023; 72:2123-2137. [PMID: 36717219 PMCID: PMC10579518 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-327202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Exhausted hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific CD8 T cells in chronic HBV infection are broadly heterogeneous. Characterisation of their functional impairment may allow to distinguish patients with different capacity to control infection and reconstitute antiviral function. DESIGN HBV dextramer+CD8 T cells were analysed ex vivo for coexpression of checkpoint/differentiation markers, transcription factors and cytokines in 35 patients with HLA-A2+chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and in 29 control HBsAg negative CHB patients who seroconverted after NUC treatment or spontaneously. Cytokine production was also evaluated in HBV peptide-stimulated T cell cultures, in the presence or absence of antioxidant, polyphenolic, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor and TLR-8 agonist compounds and the effect on HBV-specific responses was further validated on additional 24 HLA-A2 negative CHB patients. RESULTS Severely exhausted HBV-specific CD8 T cell subsets with high expression of inhibitory receptors, such as PD-1, TOX and CD39, were detected only in a subgroup of chronic viraemic patients. Conversely, a large predominance of functionally more efficient HBV-specific CD8 T cell subsets with lower expression of coinhibitory molecules and better response to in vitro immune modulation, typically detected after resolution of infection, was also observed in a proportion of chronic viraemic HBV patients. Importantly, the same subset of patients who responded more efficiently to in vitro immune modulation identified by HBV-specific CD8 T cell analysis were also identified by staining total CD8 T cells with PD-1, TOX, CD127 and Bcl-2. CONCLUSIONS The possibility to distinguish patient cohorts with different capacity to respond to immune modulatory compounds in vitro by a simple analysis of the phenotypic CD8 T cell exhaustion profile deserves evaluation of its clinical applicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzia Rossi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Andrea Vecchi
- Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Camilla Tiezzi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Valeria Barili
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Paola Fisicaro
- Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Amalia Penna
- Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Ilaria Montali
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | | | - Anuj Gaggar
- Gilead Sciences Inc, Foster City, California, USA
| | | | | | - Latesh Lad
- Gilead Sciences Inc, Foster City, California, USA
| | - Alessandro Loglio
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Roberta Soffredini
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Marta Borghi
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
| | - Teresa Pollicino
- Department of Human Pathology, University Hospital of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Cristina Musolino
- Department of Human Pathology, University Hospital of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Arianna Alfieri
- Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Federica Brillo
- Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Diletta Laccabue
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Marco Massari
- Unit of Infectious Diseases, IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Chiara Boarini
- Division of Internal Medicine 2 and Center for Hemochromatosis, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Gianluca Abbati
- Division of Internal Medicine 2 and Center for Hemochromatosis, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Pedrazzi
- Department of Neuroscience - Biophysics and Medical Physics Unit, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Gabriele Missale
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Pietro Lampertico
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milano, Italy
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, CRC "A. M. and A. Migliavacca" Center for Liver Disease, Milano, Italy
| | - Carlo Ferrari
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Carolina Boni
- Unit of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
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Xu H, Kang J, Zhong S, Chen M, Hu P, Ren H, Zhou Z, Lei Y. Function and autophagy of monocyte-derived dendritic cells is affected by hepatitis B virus infection. BMC Immunol 2023; 24:31. [PMID: 37752416 PMCID: PMC10521579 DOI: 10.1186/s12865-023-00571-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of dendritic cells and the autophagy state of dendritic cells in the immune response of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was still controversial. In this study, we carefully examined the phenotype, function and autophagy pathway of dendritic cells in HBV infection. METHODS Monocyte-derived dendritic cells from healthy blood donors and patients with chronic HBV infection were stimulated by lipopolysaccharide, supernatant of HepG2.2.15 cells or supernatant of HepG2 cells respectively. Phenotype of dendritic cells was examined by flow cytometry and cytokines secretion was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Autophagy related proteins were detected by western blot and immunofluorescence analysis. RESULTS Our results showed that the expression of both major histocompatibility complex II molecules and co-stimulated molecules including cluster of differentiation antigen 80, cluster of differentiation antigen 86 in the monocyte-derived dendritic cells from patients with chronic HBV infection was significantly higher than that from healthy donors when cultured with supernatant of HepG2.2.15 cells. The amount of cytokines, including tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-10 and interleukin-12, secreted by monocyte-derived dendritic cells from patients with chronic HBV infection was also significantly higher than that from healthy donors when stimulate by HBV. Interestingly, the expression level of autophagy-related proteins including autophagy-related protein5 and associated protein 1 light chain in dendritic cells from patients with chronic HBV infection was significantly increased when compared with that from healthy donors when re-exposed to HBV. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that dendritic cells from patients with chronic HBV infection could intensively present antigen and express co-stimulatory molecules. The increased activation of dendritic cells might be related to the enhanced autophagy of dendritic cells in HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Xu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, No.288 Tianwen Rd., Nan Ping District, Chongqing, 400060, People's Republic of China
- Department of oncology, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 6, 7 Branch Road, Panxi, Jiangbei District, Chongqing, 400021, China
| | - Juan Kang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, No.288 Tianwen Rd., Nan Ping District, Chongqing, 400060, People's Republic of China
| | - Shan Zhong
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, No.288 Tianwen Rd., Nan Ping District, Chongqing, 400060, People's Republic of China
| | - Min Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, No.288 Tianwen Rd., Nan Ping District, Chongqing, 400060, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Hu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, No.288 Tianwen Rd., Nan Ping District, Chongqing, 400060, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong Ren
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, No.288 Tianwen Rd., Nan Ping District, Chongqing, 400060, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhi Zhou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, No.288 Tianwen Rd., Nan Ping District, Chongqing, 400060, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Lei
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases (Ministry of Education), Institute for Viral Hepatitis, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, No.288 Tianwen Rd., Nan Ping District, Chongqing, 400060, People's Republic of China.
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18
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Jansen DTSL, de Beijer MTA, Luijten RJ, Kwappenberg K, Wiekmeijer AS, Kessler AL, Pieterman RFA, Bouzid R, Krebber WJ, de Man RA, Melief CJM, Buschow SI. Induction of broad multifunctional CD8+ and CD4+ T cells by hepatitis B virus antigen-based synthetic long peptides ex vivo. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1163118. [PMID: 37781393 PMCID: PMC10534072 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1163118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Therapeutic vaccination based on synthetic long peptides (SLP®) containing both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes is a promising treatment strategy for chronic hepatitis B infection (cHBV). Methods We designed SLPs for three HBV proteins, HBcAg and the non-secreted proteins polymerase and X, and investigated their ability to induce T cell responses ex vivo. A set of 17 SLPs was constructed based on viral protein conservation, functionality, predicted and validated binders for prevalent human leukocyte antigen (HLA) supertypes, validated HLA I epitopes, and chemical producibility. Results All 17 SLPs were capable of inducing interferon gamma (IFNɣ) production in samples from four or more donors that had resolved an HBV infection in the past (resolver). Further analysis of the best performing SLPs demonstrated activation of both CD8+ and CD4+ multi-functional T cells in one or more resolver and patient sample(s). When investigating which SLP could activate HBV-specific T cells, the responses could be traced back to different peptides for each patient or resolver. Discussion This indicates that a large population of subjects with different HLA types can be covered by selecting a suitable mix of SLPs for therapeutic vaccine design. In conclusion, we designed a set of SLPs capable of inducing multifunctional CD8+ and CD4+ T cells ex vivo that create important components for a novel therapeutic vaccine to cure cHBV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diahann T. S. L. Jansen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Monique T. A. de Beijer
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Robbie J. Luijten
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Amy L. Kessler
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Roel F. A. Pieterman
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rachid Bouzid
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Robert A. de Man
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Sonja I. Buschow
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
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19
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Luo J, Li J, Li P, Liang X, Hassan HM, Moreau R, Li J. Acute-on-chronic liver failure: far to go-a review. Crit Care 2023; 27:259. [PMID: 37393351 PMCID: PMC10315037 DOI: 10.1186/s13054-023-04540-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) has been recognized as a severe clinical syndrome based on the acute deterioration of chronic liver disease and is characterized by organ failure and high short-term mortality. Heterogeneous definitions and diagnostic criteria for the clinical condition have been proposed in different geographic regions due to the differences in aetiologies and precipitating events. Several predictive and prognostic scores have been developed and validated to guide clinical management. The specific pathophysiology of ACLF remains uncertain and is mainly associated with an intense systemic inflammatory response and immune-metabolism disorder based on current evidence. For ACLF patients, standardization of the treatment paradigm is required for different disease stages that may provide targeted treatment strategies for individual needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjin Luo
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Rd., Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Jiaqi Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Rd., Hangzhou, 310003, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital Affiliated of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Peng Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Rd., Hangzhou, 310003, China
| | - Xi Liang
- Precision Medicine Center, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), Taizhou, China
| | - Hozeifa Mohamed Hassan
- Precision Medicine Center, Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital), Taizhou, China
| | - Richard Moreau
- European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure (EF CLIF), Barcelona, Spain.
- Centre de Recherche Surl'Inflammation (CRI), Institut National de La Santé Et de La Recherche Médicale (INSERM) & Université Paris-Cité, Paris, France.
- Service d'Hépatologie, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Hôpital Beaujon, Clichy, France.
| | - Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Rd., Hangzhou, 310003, China.
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20
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Liu L, Liu J, Li P, Luo J, Qin R, Peng Q, Li B, Wei X, Wang T, Shi H, Wang MD, Li C, Fang W, Chen W, Xu X, Yang T, Yin W, Zeng X. Single-cell analysis reveals HBV-specific PD-1 +CD8 + TRM cells in tumor borders are associated with HBV-related hepatic damage and fibrosis in HCC patients. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2023; 42:152. [PMID: 37353792 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02710-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection may activate viral-specific T cells to attack HBV infected hepatocytes and thus induce immune-related liver injury. Therefore, it is important to deeply understand the impacts of HBV infection on HCC immune microenvironment in order to better design effective immunotherapies for HBV+ (HBV infected) HCC patients. Here, We performed cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF) analyses to characterize the distinct immune compositions of HCC tumors, tumor borders, and their associations with HCC/HBV related clinical characteristics. We identified 31 distinct immune clusters and found significant associations between immune signatures with clinicopathological features of HCC. We further revealed the HBV infection had more effects on shaping immune compositions in tumor borders than in tumors, with the significant enrichment of HBV-specific PD-1+CD8+ tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells in tumor borders of HBV+ patients. We confirmed this subset with a more exhausted phenotype and respond more actively under anti-PD-L1 treatment, suggesting its involvement in immune-related liver injury induced by ICB treatment to HBV+ HCC patients. Our study shows it may be necessary to consider antiviral prophylaxis for HBV+ HCC patients receiving ICB treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Junwei Liu
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310006, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310006, China
- Present Address: Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, 510005, Guangdong, China
| | - Pan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Jijun Luo
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, China
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Hangzhou, 310016, China
| | - Rui Qin
- Department of Cardiology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Qiao Peng
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Bin Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Xuyong Wei
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310006, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310006, China
| | - Tian Wang
- Department of Biological Testing, Zhejiang Puluoting Health Technology Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Hongyu Shi
- Department of Biological Testing, Zhejiang Puluoting Health Technology Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, 311121, China
| | - Ming-Da Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University (Navy Medical University), 225 Changhai Rd, Yangpu Qu, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Chao Li
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University (Navy Medical University), 225 Changhai Rd, Yangpu Qu, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - Weijia Fang
- Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- Department of Cardiology of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Xiao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310006, China.
- Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Tian Yang
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University (Navy Medical University), 225 Changhai Rd, Yangpu Qu, Shanghai, 200433, China.
| | - Weiwei Yin
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Hangzhou, 310016, China.
| | - Xun Zeng
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
- Research Units of Infectious Disease and Microecology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
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21
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Zheng P, Dou Y, Wang Q. Immune response and treatment targets of chronic hepatitis B virus infection: innate and adaptive immunity. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1206720. [PMID: 37424786 PMCID: PMC10324618 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1206720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major global public health risk that threatens human life and health, although the number of vaccinated people has increased. The clinical outcome of HBV infection depends on the complex interplay between viral replication and the host immune response. Innate immunity plays an important role in the early stages of the disease but retains no long-term immune memory. However, HBV evades detection by the host innate immune system through stealth. Therefore, adaptive immunity involving T and B cells is crucial for controlling and clearing HBV infections that lead to liver inflammation and damage. The persistence of HBV leads to immune tolerance owing to immune cell dysfunction, T cell exhaustion, and an increase in suppressor cells and cytokines. Although significant progress has been made in HBV treatment in recent years, the balance between immune tolerance, immune activation, inflammation, and fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B remains unknown, making a functional cure difficult to achieve. Therefore, this review focuses on the important cells involved in the innate and adaptive immunity of chronic hepatitis B that target the host immune system and identifies treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyu Zheng
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
- Graduate School of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yongqing Dou
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Qinying Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
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22
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Feld JJ, King WC, Ghany MG, Chang KM, Terrault N, Perrillo RP, Khalili M, Hinerman AS, Janssen HLA, Lok AS. Characteristics of Older Patients With Immunotolerant Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2023; 21:1503-1512.e4. [PMID: 35843468 PMCID: PMC10363409 DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2022.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Most patients in the immunotolerant (IT) phase of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) transition to the immune active (IA-hepatitis B surface antigen [HBeAg]+) phase by early adulthood. We examined characteristics of adults in the IT vs IA-HBeAg+ phase and rate of transition from IT to other phases of CHB, with a focus on those ≥40 years. METHODS Demographic, clinical, and virologic characteristics of participants in the Hepatitis B Research Network adult cohort study with IT CHB (alanine aminotransferase ≤1.5 × upper limit of normal, hepatitis B virus DNA >107 IU/mL) were compared by age category, and to those with IA-HBeAg+ CHB in cross-sectional analysis. This study received institutional review board approval at all participating centers. RESULTS Of 107 adult IT participants, 52 (48%) were <30, 33 (31%) were 30 to 39, and 22 (21%) were ≥40 years old (maximum, 71 years). Among IT groups, the proportion born in Asia and duration of CHB were greater in older IT groups, but virologic and liver disease characteristics were similar. Compared with IA-HBeAg+ participants (n = 192), IT participants were younger, fewer were men, more were Asian, and platelets, qHBsAg, and qHBeAg levels were higher. Similar differences were observed when comparisons were made with the ≥40 years IT group. Among IT participants, 60 (56%) transitioned during 206 person-years of follow-up. The phase transition rate per 100 person-years was highest in the <30 years group (33.0 [95% confidence interval [CI], 23.4-46.7]) vs the 30 to 39 years group (24.8 [95% CI, 15.6-39.4]) and ≥40 group (27.4 [95% CI, 14.8-50.9]), but 95% CIs overlapped. CONCLUSIONS In a large North American population, over 50% of adults in the IT phase of CHB were ≥30 years and 20% were ≥40 years old, but older IT patients had similar characteristics and rates of transition as younger IT patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan J Feld
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Wendy C King
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Marc G Ghany
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Kyong-Mi Chang
- University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Norah Terrault
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | | | - Mandana Khalili
- University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Amanda S Hinerman
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Harry LA Janssen
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Anna S Lok
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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23
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Lin N, Yin W, Miller H, Byazrova MG, Herrada AA, Benlagha K, Lee P, Guan F, Lei J, Gong Q, Yan Y, Filatov A, Liu C. The role of regulatory T cells and follicular T helper cells in HBV infection. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1169601. [PMID: 37275865 PMCID: PMC10235474 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1169601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B has become one of the major global health threats, especially in developing countries and regions. Hepatitis B virus infection greatly increases the risk for liver diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer. However, treatment for hepatitis B is limited when considering the huge base of infected people. The immune response against hepatitis B is mediated mainly by CD8+ T cells, which are key to fighting invading viruses, while regulatory T cells prevent overreaction of the immune response process. Additionally, follicular T helper cells play a key role in B-cell activation, proliferation, differentiation, and formation of germinal centers. The pathogenic process of hepatitis B virus is generally the result of a disorder or dysfunction of the immune system. Therefore, we present in this review the critical functions and related biological processes of regulatory T cells and follicular T helper cells during HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nengqi Lin
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Yin
- Wuhan Children’s Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Heather Miller
- Department of Research and Development, BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, United States
| | - Maria G. Byazrova
- Laboratory of Immunochemistry, National Research Center Institute of Immunology, Federal Medical Biological Agency of Russia, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrés A. Herrada
- Lymphatic Vasculature and Inflammation Research Laboratory, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Talca, Chile
| | - Kamel Benlagha
- Université de Paris, Institut de Recherche Saint-Louis, EMiLy, Paris, France
| | - Pamela Lee
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Fei Guan
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiahui Lei
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Quan Gong
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
- Clinical Molecular Immunology Center, School of Medicine, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Youqing Yan
- Department of Infectious Disease, Wuhan No.7 Hospital, Wuhan, China
| | - Alexander Filatov
- Laboratory of Immunochemistry, National Research Center Institute of Immunology, Federal Medical Biological Agency of Russia, Moscow, Russia
| | - Chaohong Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Apol ÁD, Winckelmann AA, Duus RB, Bukh J, Weis N. The Role of CTLA-4 in T Cell Exhaustion in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Viruses 2023; 15:v15051141. [PMID: 37243227 DOI: 10.3390/v15051141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) gradually develop T cell exhaustion, and the inhibitory receptor molecule, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), may play a role in this phenomenon. This systematic review investigates the role of CTLA-4 in the development of T cell exhaustion in CHB. A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed and Embase on 31 March 2023 to identify relevant studies. Fifteen studies were included in this review. A majority of the studies investigating CD8+ T cells demonstrated increased expression of CTLA-4 in CHB patients, though one study found this only in HBeAg-positive patients. Three out of four studies investigating the expression of CTLA-4 on CD4+ T cells found upregulation of CTLA-4. Several studies showed constitutive expression of CLTA-4 on CD4+ regulatory T cells. CTLA-4 blockade resulted in heterogeneous responses for all T cell types, as it resulted in increased T cell proliferation and/or cytokine production in some studies, while other studies found this only when combining blockade of CTLA-4 with other inhibitory receptors. Although mounting evidence supports a role of CTLA-4 in T cell exhaustion, there is still insufficient documentation to describe the expression and exact role of CTLA-4 in T cell exhaustion in CHB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ása Didriksen Apol
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anni Assing Winckelmann
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rasmus Bülow Duus
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Jens Bukh
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
- Copenhagen Hepatitis C Program (CO-HEP), Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nina Weis
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University Hospital, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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25
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Lim YS, Kim WR, Dieterich D, Kao JH, Flaherty JF, Yee LJ, Roberts LR, Razavi H, Kennedy PTF. Evidence for Benefits of Early Treatment Initiation for Chronic Hepatitis B. Viruses 2023; 15:v15040997. [PMID: 37112976 PMCID: PMC10142077 DOI: 10.3390/v15040997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is the most common cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. Antiviral treatment reduces the risk of HCC and mortality; nonetheless, globally in 2019, only 2.2% of CHB patients received treatment. Current international CHB guidelines recommend antiviral treatment only in subsets of patients with clear evidence of liver damage. This contrasts with hepatitis C or HIV where early treatment is recommended in all infected patients, regardless of end-organ damage. This narrative review aims to provide an overview of data on the early initiation of antiviral treatment and its related potential economic impact. Literature searches were performed using PubMed and abstracts from international liver congresses (2019-2021). Data on risk of disease progression and HCC and the impact of antiviral treatment in currently ineligible patients were summarized. Cost-effectiveness data on early antiviral treatment initiation were also collated. Accumulating molecular, clinical, and economic data suggest that early initiation of antiviral treatment could save many lives through HCC prevention in a highly cost-effective manner. In light of these data, we consider several alternative expanded treatment strategies that might further a simplified 'treatment as prevention' approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young-Suk Lim
- Department of Gastroenterology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea
| | - W Ray Kim
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94063, USA
| | - Douglas Dieterich
- Division of Liver Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jia-Horng Kao
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical Research, Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei 110, Taiwan
| | | | | | - Lewis R Roberts
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Homie Razavi
- Center for Disease Analysis Foundation, Lafayette, CO 80026, USA
| | - Patrick T F Kennedy
- Barts Liver Centre, Immunobiology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
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26
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Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major public health problem, with an estimated 296 million people chronically infected and 820 000 deaths worldwide in 2019. Diagnosis of HBV infection requires serological testing for HBsAg and for acute infection additional testing for IgM hepatitis B core antibody (IgM anti-HBc, for the window period when neither HBsAg nor anti-HBs is detected). Assessment of HBV replication status to guide treatment decisions involves testing for HBV DNA, whereas assessment of liver disease activity and staging is mainly based on aminotransferases, platelet count, and elastography. Universal infant immunisation, including birth dose vaccination is the most effective means to prevent chronic HBV infection. Two vaccines with improved immunogenicity have recently been approved for adults in the USA and EU, with availability expected to expand. Current therapies, pegylated interferon, and nucleos(t)ide analogues can prevent development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, but do not eradicate the virus and rarely clear HBsAg. Treatment is recommended for patients with cirrhosis or with high HBV DNA levels and active or advanced liver disease. New antiviral and immunomodulatory therapies aiming to achieve functional cure (ie, clearance of HBsAg) are in clinical development. Improved vaccination coverage, increased screening, diagnosis and linkage to care, development of curative therapies, and removal of stigma are important in achieving WHO's goal of eliminating HBV infection by 2030.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Juei Jeng
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Linkou Medical Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - George V Papatheodoridis
- Academic Department of Gastroenterology, Medical School of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Anna S F Lok
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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27
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Wang ZL, Zheng JR, Yang RF, Huang LX, Chen HS, Feng B. An Ideal Hallmark Closest to Complete Cure of Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: High-sensitivity Quantitative HBsAg Loss. J Clin Transl Hepatol 2023; 11:197-206. [PMID: 36406318 PMCID: PMC9647097 DOI: 10.14218/jcth.2022.00289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
In the era of antiviral therapy, the main goal of treatment has shifted from the persistent inhibition of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication to the pursuit of serological clearance of HBs surface antigen (HBsAg). Based on the life cycle of HBV, HBsAg originates from covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) and integrated HBV DNA, thus reflecting their transcriptional activity. Complete HBsAg loss may mean elimination or persistent inactivity of the HBV genome including cccDNA and integrated HBV DNA. HBsAg loss improves the recovery of abnormal immune function, which in turn, may further promote the clearance of residual viruses. Combined with functional cure and the great improvement of clinical outcomes, the continuous seroclearance of high-sensitivity quantitative HBsAg may represent the complete cure of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). For many other risk factors besides HBV itself, patients with HBsAg loss still need regular monitoring. In this review, we summarized the evolution of CHB treatment, the origin of serum HBsAg, the pattern of HBsAg seroclearance, and the effect of HBsAg loss on immune function and disease outcomes. In addition, we discuss the significance of high-sensitivity HBsAg detection and its possibility as a surrogate of complete cure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Bo Feng
- Correspondence to: Bo Feng, Peking University People’s Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, 11 Xizhimen South Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100044, China. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5084-6715. Tel: +1-381-025-4109, Fax: +86-10-66515490, E-mail:
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28
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Yu HC, Huo WW, Lin KH, Sun WC, Lee CN. Trend patterns of HBsAg kinetics in chronic hepatitis B patients during nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy based on ARMA models. J Formos Med Assoc 2023; 122:458-469. [PMID: 36725372 DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2023.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trend pattern analysis are lacking for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) kinetics in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients during nucleos(t)ide analogue (Nuc) therapy. We evaluated the trend patterns of HBsAg kinetics by time series analysis and forecasting times to HBsAg seroclearance accordingly. METHODS A total of 116 CHB patients with documented three-month HBsAg levels during the previous more than five years of Nuc therapy were included. The piecewise linear trends of the autoregressive-moving average (ARMA) model were used for time series analysis of HBsAg kinetics trends. Best fitted models were created for each patient using HBsAg datasets with backtracking capability. Predicted time to HBsAg seroclearance was calculated accordingly. RESULTS Four trend patterns of HBsAg kinetics were found: no trend (n = 22, 19.0%), single trend (n = 16, 13.8%), biphasic trend with rapid-slow decline (n = 56, 48.2%) and biphasic trend with rise-decline (n = 22, 19.0%). Except for no-trend patients, the trend became slow reduction as HBsAg declined. Only 6.1% of patients continued rapid decline when the initial HBsAg of the last trend reached <100 IU/mL. Last trend slopes < -10 and rise-decline patterns indicate greater chances of achieving HBsAg seroclearance within two years. CONCLUSIONS Best fitted ARMA models of HBsAg kinetics can be created individually for patients during Nuc therapy. About 67.2% patients have biphasic trend patterns, suggesting the dynamic nature of HBsAg kinetics over time. Trend patterns and last trend slopes predict individual times to HBsAg seroclearance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsien-Chung Yu
- Health Management Center, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, Meiho Institute of Technology, Ping-Tung 912, Taiwan; Institute of BioPharmaceutical Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan.
| | - Wen-Wei Huo
- Health Management Center, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan; Institute of Economics, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
| | - Kung-Hung Lin
- Health Management Center, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, Meiho Institute of Technology, Ping-Tung 912, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chih Sun
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Nun Lee
- Institute of Economics, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan
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29
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Chen X, Liu X, Jiang Y, Xia N, Liu C, Luo W. Abnormally primed CD8 T cells: The Achilles' heel of CHB. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1106700. [PMID: 36936922 PMCID: PMC10014547 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1106700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to be a significant public health challenge, and more than 250 million people around world are infected with HBV. The clearance of HBV with virus-specific CD8 T cells is critical for a functional cure. However, naïve HBV-specific CD8 T cells are heavily hindered during the priming process, and this phenomenon is closely related to abnormal cell and signal interactions in the complex immune microenvironment. Here, we briefly summarize the recent progress in understanding the abnormal priming of HBV-specific CD8 T cells and some corresponding immunotherapies to facilitate their functional recovery, which provides a novel perspective for the design and development of immunotherapy for chronic HBV infection (CHB). Finally, we also highlight the balance between viral clearance and pathological liver injury induced by CD8 T-cell activation that should be carefully considered during drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Xue Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Yichao Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Ningshao Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- The Research Unit of Frontier Technology of Structural Vaccinology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Xiamen, Fujian, China
| | - Chao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- *Correspondence: Wenxin Luo, ; Chao Liu,
| | - Wenxin Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Vaccinology and Molecular Diagnostics, National Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- Xiang An Biomedicine Laboratory, Xiamen, Fujian, China
- *Correspondence: Wenxin Luo, ; Chao Liu,
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30
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Yardeni D, Chang KM, Ghany MG. Current Best Practice in Hepatitis B Management and Understanding Long-term Prospects for Cure. Gastroenterology 2023; 164:42-60.e6. [PMID: 36243037 PMCID: PMC9772068 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide. Despite an effective vaccine, the prevalence of chronic infection remains high. Current therapy is effective at achieving on-treatment, but not off-treatment, viral suppression. Loss of hepatitis B surface antigen, the best surrogate marker of off-treatment viral suppression, is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, this end point is rarely achieved with current therapy because of their lack of effect on covalently closed circular DNA, the template of viral transcription and genome replication. Major advancements in our understanding of HBV virology along with better understanding of immunopathogenesis have led to the development of a multitude of novel therapeutic approaches with the prospect of achieving functional cure (hepatitis B surface antigen loss) and perhaps complete cure (clearance of covalently closed circular DNA and integrated HBV DNA). This review will cover current best practice for managing chronic HBV infection and emerging novel therapies for HBV infection and their prospect for cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Yardeni
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Kyong-Mi Chang
- Medical Research, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Marc G Ghany
- Liver Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
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31
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Hall SAL, Burns GS, Mooney BJ, Millen R, Morris R, Vogrin S, Sundararajan V, Ratnam D, Levy MT, Lubel JS, Nicoll AJ, Strasser SI, Sievert W, Desmond PV, Ngu MC, Angus P, Sinclair M, Meredith C, Matthews G, Revill PA, Jackson K, Littlejohn M, Bowden S, Locarnini SA, Thompson AJ, Visvanathan K. Hepatitis B Virus Flares After Nucleot(s)ide Analogue Cessation Are Associated With Activation of Toll-Like Receptor Signaling Pathways. J Infect Dis 2022; 227:123-132. [PMID: 36108079 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We evaluated the patterns of peripheral Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling activity and the expression of TLRs and natural killer (NK) cell activation in a cohort of patients experiencing severe hepatitis flares after stopping nucleot(s)ide analogues (NAs) therapy. METHODS Samples were collected longitudinally from patients with chronic hepatitis B who were enrolled in a prospective study of NA discontinuation. Patients experiencing hepatitis flares were compared with patients with normal alanine aminotransferase. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were stimulated with TLR ligands and cytokine secretion in the cell culture supernatant measured. Expression of TLR2/4, NKG2D, NKp46, and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1) on monocytes, NK, and NK-T cells was measured. RESULTS Seventeen patients with severe reactivation hepatitis flares were compared to 12 nonflare patients. Hepatitis flares were associated with increased activity of TLR2-8 and TLR9 signaling in PBMCs at the time of peak flare compared to baseline. Hepatitis flares were also associated with (1) upregulation of TLR2 and (2) TREM-1 receptor expression on NK. There were no differences at baseline between flare patients and nonflare patients. CONCLUSIONS Hepatitis flares off NA therapy have a significant innate inflammatory response with upregulation of TLR signaling on peripheral monocytes and TLR2 and TREM-1 expression on NK cells. This implicates the innate immune system in the immunopathogenesis of hepatitis B flares.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A L Hall
- Gastroenterology Department of St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Infectious Disease and Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Gareth S Burns
- Gastroenterology Department of St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Infectious Disease and Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Benjamin J Mooney
- Department of Infectious Disease and Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rosemary Millen
- Department of Infectious Disease and Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rachel Morris
- Department of Infectious Disease and Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sara Vogrin
- Department of Infectious Disease and Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Dilip Ratnam
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Miriam T Levy
- Gastroenterology Department of Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - John S Lubel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia.,Central Clinical School, Monash University, The Alfred Centre, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Amanda J Nicoll
- Gastroenterology Department of Eastern Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Simone I Strasser
- AW Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - William Sievert
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Paul V Desmond
- Gastroenterology Department of St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Meng C Ngu
- Gastroenterology Department of Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Peter Angus
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia.,Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Marie Sinclair
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - Gail Matthews
- Department of infectious Disease, St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, SydneyAustralia
| | - Peter A Revill
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kathy Jackson
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Margaret Littlejohn
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Scott Bowden
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Stephen A Locarnini
- Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Doherty Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alexander J Thompson
- Gastroenterology Department of St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Infectious Disease and Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Kumar Visvanathan
- Gastroenterology Department of St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Infectious Disease and Immunology Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
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32
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Corkum CP, Wiede LL, Ruble CLA, Qiu J, Mulrooney-Cousins PM, Steeves MA, Watson DE, Michalak TI. Identification of antibodies cross-reactive with woodchuck immune cells and activation of virus-specific and global cytotoxic T cell responses by anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 in experimental chronic hepatitis B and persistent occult hepadnaviral infection. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1011070. [PMID: 36560951 PMCID: PMC9764628 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1011070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Woodchuck (Marmota monax) infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) is the most pathogenically compatible naturally occurring model of human hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, chronic hepatitis B, and HBV-induced hepatocellular carcinoma. This system plays a crucial role in discovery and preclinical evaluation of anti-HBV therapies. Its utilization remains tempered by the relatively narrow range of validated immunologic and molecular tools. We evaluated commercial antibodies against immune cell phenotypic markers and T cell molecules for cross-reactivity with woodchuck antigenic equivalents. The confirmed antibodies against programed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) were examined for ex vivo ability to activate WHV-specific, global and bystander cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) in chronic hepatitis and asymptomatic infection persisting after self-resolved acute hepatitis. Examination of 65 antibodies led to identification or confirmation of 23 recognizing woodchuck T, regulatory T, B and natural killer cells, T cell-associated PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA-4 and TIM-3 molecules, CD25 and CD69 markers of T cell activation, and interferon gamma (IFNγ). Antibodies against woodchuck PD-1 and PD-L1 triggered in vitro highly individualized WHV-specific and global activation of CTLs in both chronic hepatitis and persistent occult infection. WHV-specific CTLs were more robustly augmented by anti-PD-1 than by anti-PD-L1 in chronic hepatitis, while global IFNγ-positive CTL response was significantly suppressed in chronic hepatitis compared to persistent occult infection. Anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 also occasionally activated CTLs to specificities other than those tested suggesting their potency to trigger side effects. This was particularly apparent when T cells from chronic hepatitis were treated with anti-PD-L1. The current findings indicate that inhibition of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway could reactivate virus-specific and global T cell responses in both chronic hepatitis and asymptomatic persistent infection. They suggest a mechanism of potential reactivation of clinically silent infection during anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment and indicate that this therapy may also subdue occult HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P. Corkum
- Molecular Virology and Hepatology Research Group, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Louisa L. Wiede
- Molecular Virology and Hepatology Research Group, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Cara L.-A. Ruble
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Elli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Jiabin Qiu
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Elli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Patricia M. Mulrooney-Cousins
- Molecular Virology and Hepatology Research Group, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Meredith A. Steeves
- Non-Clinical Safety Assessment, Toxicology, Elli Lilly and Company, Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - David E. Watson
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Elli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Tomasz I. Michalak
- Molecular Virology and Hepatology Research Group, Division of BioMedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, Canada,*Correspondence: Tomasz I. Michalak,
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Ohlendorf V, Wübbolding M, Gineste P, Höner Zu Siederdissen C, Bremer B, Wedemeyer H, Cornberg M, Maasoumy B. Low anti-HBc levels are associated with lower risk of virological relapse after nucleos(t)ide analogue cessation in HBe antigen-negative patients. Liver Int 2022; 42:2674-2682. [PMID: 36152268 DOI: 10.1111/liv.15433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Low anti-HBc serum levels at the time of therapy cessation were linked to a higher relapse risk in predominantly HBeAg-positive cohorts. We investigated the association of anti-HBc levels with relapse in HBeAg-negative patients. METHODS Serum levels of anti-HBc, HBsAg and HBcrAg were determined in 136 HBeAg-negative patients, participating in a vaccination trial (ABX-203, NCT02249988), before treatment cessation or vaccination. Importantly, vaccination showed no impact on relapse. The correlation between the biomarkers and their predictive value for relapse (HBV DNA >2000 IU/ml ± ALT >2xULN) was investigated. RESULTS After therapy cessation 50% (N = 68) of patients relapsed. Median anti-HBc prior to treatment stop was significantly higher among relapsers compared to off-treatment responders (520 IU/ml vs. 330 IU/mL, p = .0098). The optimal anti-HBc cut-off to predict relapse was 325 IU/ml according to the Youden-Index. About 35% of patients with anti-HBc level < 325 IU/ml versus 60% of those with values ≥325 IU/mL relapsed (p = .0103; sensitivity 50%, specificity 75%). Combining the optimal cut-offs of HBsAg (>3008 IU/mL) or HBcrAg (≥1790 U/ml) with anti-HBc increased the proportion of patients with relapse to 80% (p < .0001) and 74% (p = .0006), respectively. CONCLUSION In contrast to predominantly HBeAg-positive cohorts, in our cohort of HBeAg-negative patients lower anti-HBc levels are associated with a significantly lower relapse risk after nucleos(t)ide analogue cessation. The vast majority of included patients were either genotype B or C and the applicability to other genotypes has to be further evaluated. However, anti-HBc level as an indicator of the host response might be prospectively further explored for prediction models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Ohlendorf
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Maximilian Wübbolding
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Centre for Individualized Infection Medicine (CiiM), a joint venture of Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany
| | | | | | - Birgit Bremer
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Heiner Wedemeyer
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany
| | - Markus Cornberg
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Centre for Individualized Infection Medicine (CiiM), a joint venture of Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany
| | - Benjamin Maasoumy
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Centre for Individualized Infection Medicine (CiiM), a joint venture of Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Hannover, Germany
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Han HT, Jin WL, Li X. Mesenchymal stem cells-based therapy in liver diseases. MOLECULAR BIOMEDICINE 2022; 3:23. [PMID: 35895169 PMCID: PMC9326420 DOI: 10.1186/s43556-022-00088-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple immune cells and their products in the liver together form a complex and unique immune microenvironment, and preclinical models have demonstrated the importance of imbalances in the hepatic immune microenvironment in liver inflammatory diseases and immunocompromised liver diseases. Various immunotherapies have been attempted to modulate the hepatic immune microenvironment for the purpose of treating liver diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have a comprehensive and plastic immunomodulatory capacity. On the one hand, they have been tried for the treatment of inflammatory liver diseases because of their excellent immunosuppressive capacity; On the other hand, MSCs have immune-enhancing properties in immunocompromised settings and can be modified into cellular carriers for targeted transport of immune enhancers by genetic modification, physical and chemical loading, and thus they are also used in the treatment of immunocompromised liver diseases such as chronic viral infections and hepatocellular carcinoma. In this review, we discuss the immunological basis and recent strategies of MSCs for the treatment of the aforementioned liver diseases. Specifically, we update the immune microenvironment of the liver and summarize the distinct mechanisms of immune microenvironment imbalance in inflammatory diseases and immunocompromised liver diseases, and how MSCs can fully exploit their immunotherapeutic role in liver diseases with both immune imbalance patterns.
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Zhu M, Wang H, Lou T, Xiong P, Zhang J, Li L, Sun Y, Wu Y. Current treatment of chronic hepatitis B: Clinical aspects and future directions. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:975584. [PMID: 36160238 PMCID: PMC9493448 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.975584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a public health threat worldwide, and there is no direct treatment yet available. In the event of infection, patients may present liver cirrhosis and cancer, which threaten the patients’ health globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region and China. In 2019, Chinese hepatopathologists updated the 2015 Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B as the clinical reference. The other versions formulated by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (2018 AASLD guidelines) (AASLD, 2018), European Association for the Study of the Liver (2017 EASL guidelines) (EASL, 2017), and Asian-Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (2015 APASL guidelines) (APASL, 2015) also provide clinical guidance. However, there are still some issues that need to be addressed. In the present study, the following aspects will be introduced successively: (1) Who should be treated in the general population according to the guidelines; (2) Treatment of specific populations infected with HBV; (3) Controversial issues in clinical practice; (4) Perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minmin Zhu
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Hui Wang
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Tao Lou
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Pian Xiong
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Jiebing Zhang
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Lele Li
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
| | - Yuchao Sun
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
- International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Jinhua, China
| | - Yingping Wu
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Jinhua, China
- International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Jinhua, China
- *Correspondence: Yingping Wu,
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36
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Suresh M, Menne S. Recent Drug Development in the Woodchuck Model of Chronic Hepatitis B. Viruses 2022; 14:v14081711. [PMID: 36016334 PMCID: PMC9416195 DOI: 10.3390/v14081711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) is responsible for the increasing global hepatitis burden, with an estimated 296 million people being carriers and living with the risk of developing chronic liver disease and cancer. While the current treatment options for chronic hepatitis B (CHB), including oral nucleos(t)ide analogs and systemic interferon-alpha, are deemed suboptimal, the path to finding an ultimate cure for this viral disease is rather challenging. The lack of suitable laboratory animal models that support HBV infection and associated liver disease progression is one of the major hurdles in antiviral drug development. For more than four decades, experimental infection of the Eastern woodchuck with woodchuck hepatitis virus has been applied for studying the immunopathogenesis of HBV and developing new antiviral therapeutics against CHB. There are several advantages to this animal model that are beneficial for performing both basic and translational HBV research. Previous review articles have focused on the value of this animal model in regard to HBV replication, pathogenesis, and immune response. In this article, we review studies of drug development and preclinical evaluation of direct-acting antivirals, immunomodulators, therapeutic vaccines, and inhibitors of viral entry, gene expression, and antigen release in the woodchuck model of CHB since 2014 until today and discuss their significance for clinical trials in patients.
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37
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Gehring AJ, Mendez P, Richter K, Ertl H, Donaldson EF, Mishra P, Maini M, Boonstra A, Lauer G, de Creus A, Whitaker K, Martinez SF, Weber J, Gainor E, Miller V. Immunological biomarker discovery in cure regimens for chronic hepatitis B virus infection. J Hepatol 2022; 77:525-538. [PMID: 35259469 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.02.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
There have been unprecedented advances in the identification of new treatment targets for chronic hepatitis B that are being developed with the goal of achieving functional cure in patients who would otherwise require lifelong nucleoside analogue treatment. Many of the new investigational therapies either directly target the immune system or are anticipated to impact immunity indirectly through modulation of the viral lifecycle and antigen production. While new viral biomarkers (HBV RNA, HBcAg, small, middle, large HBs isoforms) are proceeding through validation steps in clinical studies, immunological biomarkers are non-existent outside of clinical assays for antibodies to HBs, HBc and HBe. To develop clinically applicable immunological biomarkers to measure mechanisms of action, inform logical combination strategies, and guide clinical management for use and discontinuation of immune-targeting drugs, immune assays must be incorporated into phase I/II clinical trials. This paper will discuss the importance of sample collection, the assays available for immunological analyses, their advantages/disadvantages and suggestions for their implementation in clinical trials. Careful consideration must be given to ensure appropriate immunological studies are included as a primary component of the trial with deeper immunological analysis provided by ancillary studies. Standardising immunological assays and data obtained from clinical trials will identify biomarkers that can be deployed in the clinic, independently of specialised immunology laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Gehring
- Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Patricia Mendez
- Gilead Sciences, 333 Lakeside Drive, Foster City, CA 94404, USA
| | - Kirsten Richter
- F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Grenzacher Strasse 124, CH-4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Eric F Donaldson
- Division of Antivirals, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, USA
| | - Poonam Mishra
- Division of Antivirals, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, USA
| | - Mala Maini
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Andre Boonstra
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Georg Lauer
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Kathleen Whitaker
- Division of Microbiology Devices Office of In Vitro Diagnostics and Radiological Health Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, USA
| | - Sara Ferrando Martinez
- Microbial Sciences, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, US; NeoImmuneTech, LLC 2400 Research Blvd, Suite 250 Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Jessica Weber
- Forum for Collaborative Research, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Emily Gainor
- Forum for Collaborative Research, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Veronica Miller
- Forum for Collaborative Research, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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Liu S, Xu C, Yang F, Zong L, Qin Y, Gao Y, Su Q, Li T, Li Y, Xu Y, Zheng M. Natural Killer Cells Induce CD8+ T Cell Dysfunction via Galectin-9/TIM-3 in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Front Immunol 2022; 13:884290. [PMID: 35874664 PMCID: PMC9301626 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.884290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The antiviral response of natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+ T cells is weak in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. However, the specific characteristics of these cells and the association between NK cells and CD8+ T cell dysfunction is not well known. In this study, higher galectin-9 (Gal-9) expression was observed in circulating NK cells from CHB patients than from healthy controls and was found to contribute to NK cell dysfunction. In addition, circulating CD8+ T cells showed obvious dysfunction and overexpressed TIM-3, the natural receptor of Gal-9, during active CHB infection. Gal-9+ and Gal-9- NK cells from active CHB patients were sorted and cocultured with autologous CD8+ T cells. The proportion of tetramer+CD8+ T cells and the cytokines production of CD8+ T cells were lower after cocultivation with Gal-9+ than with Gal-9- NK cells. We showed that in vitro depletion of NK cells increased circulating hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific CD8+ T cell responses in patients with active CHB infection. Because Gal-9 is increased in the serum of CHB patients, CD8+ T cells were sorted and cultured with exogenous Gal-9, resulting in lower IFN-γ, TNF-α, CD107a, and granzyme B levels, decreased expression of the activation receptor CD69, increased expression of TIM-3, and a high percentage of early apoptotic CD8+ T cells. Blocking Gal-9 or TIM-3 in vitro in a culture of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with HBV peptide from active CHB patients restored CD8+ T cell function. However, blocking Gal-9 in vitro after removal of NK cells from PBMCs did not rescue CD8+ T cells exhaustion. Furthermore, NK and CD8+ T cells from active CHB patients were sorted and cocultured in vitro, and the exhaustion of CD8+ T cells were alleviated after blocking Gal-9 or TIM-3. In summary, overexpression of Gal-9 on NK cells, which interacts with TIM-3+CD8+ T cells and likely contributes to antiviral CD8+ T cell dysfunction, may be a potential target for the treatment of CHB patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Chang Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Lu Zong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yizu Qin
- Anhui Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hefei, China
| | - Yufeng Gao
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Qian Su
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Tuantuan Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Second People’s Hospital of Fuyang City, Fuyang, China
| | - Ye Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
| | - Yuanhong Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Meijuan Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- *Correspondence: *Meijuan Zheng,
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Wildum S, Korolowicz KE, Suresh M, Steiner G, Dai L, Li B, Yon C, De Vera Mudry MC, Regenass-Lechner F, Huang X, Hong X, Murreddu MG, Kallakury BV, Young JAT, Menne S. Toll-Like Receptor 7 Agonist RG7854 Mediates Therapeutic Efficacy and Seroconversion in Woodchucks With Chronic Hepatitis B. Front Immunol 2022; 13:884113. [PMID: 35677037 PMCID: PMC9169629 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.884113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Conventional treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is rarely curative due to the immunotolerant status of patients. RG7854 is an oral double prodrug of a toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist that is developed for the treatment of CHB. The therapeutic efficacy, host immune response, and safety of RG7854 were evaluated in the woodchuck model of CHB. Monotreatment with the two highest RG7854 doses and combination treatment with the highest RG7854 dose and entecavir (ETV) suppressed viral replication, led to loss of viral antigens, and induced seroconversion in responder woodchucks. Since viral suppression and high-titer antibodies persisted after treatment ended, this suggested that a sustained antiviral response (SVR) was induced by RG7854 in a subset of animals. The SVR rate, however, was comparable between both treatment regimens, suggesting that the addition of ETV did not enhance the therapeutic efficacy of RG7854 although it augmented the proliferation of blood cells in response to viral antigens and magnitude of antibody titers. The induction of interferon-stimulated genes in blood by RG7854/ETV combination treatment demonstrated on-target activation of TLR7. Together with the virus-specific blood cell proliferation and the transient elevations in liver enzymes and inflammation, this suggested that cytokine-mediated non-cytolytic and T-cell mediated cytolytic mechanisms contributed to the SVR, in addition to the virus-neutralizing effects by antibody-producing plasma cells. Both RG7854 regimens were not associated with treatment-limiting adverse effects but accompanied by dose-dependent, transient neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. The study concluded that finite, oral RG7854 treatment can induce a SVR in woodchucks that is based on the retrieval of antiviral innate and adaptive immune responses. This supports future investigation of the TLR7 agonist as an immunotherapeutic approach for achieving functional cure in patients with CHB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Wildum
- Roche Pharma, Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kyle E Korolowicz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Manasa Suresh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Guido Steiner
- Roche Pharma, Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lue Dai
- Roche Pharma, Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Li
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Changsuek Yon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | | | | | - Xu Huang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Xupeng Hong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Marta G Murreddu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Bhaskar V Kallakury
- Department of Pathology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - John A T Young
- Roche Pharma, Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Menne
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
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Stella L, Santopaolo F, Gasbarrini A, Pompili M, Ponziani FR. Viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma: From molecular pathways to the role of clinical surveillance and antiviral treatment. World J Gastroenterol 2022; 28:2251-2281. [PMID: 35800182 PMCID: PMC9185215 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i21.2251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a global health challenge. Due to the high prevalence in low-income countries, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus infections remain the main risk factors for HCC occurrence, despite the increasing frequencies of non-viral etiologies. In addition, hepatitis D virus coinfection increases the oncogenic risk in patients with HBV infection. The molecular processes underlying HCC development are complex and various, either independent from liver disease etiology or etiology-related. The reciprocal interlinkage among non-viral and viral risk factors, the damaged cellular microenvironment, the dysregulation of the immune system and the alteration of gut-liver-axis are known to participate in liver cancer induction and progression. Oncogenic mechanisms and pathways change throughout the natural history of viral hepatitis with the worsening of liver fibrosis. The high risk of cancer incidence in chronic viral hepatitis infected patients compared to other liver disease etiologies makes it necessary to implement a proper surveillance, both through clinical-biochemical scores and periodic ultrasound assessment. This review aims to outline viral and microenvironmental factors contributing to HCC occurrence in patients with chronic viral hepatitis and to point out the importance of surveillance programs recommended by international guidelines to promote early diagnosis of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Stella
- Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Hepatology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy
| | - Francesco Santopaolo
- Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Hepatology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy
| | - Antonio Gasbarrini
- Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Hepatology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pompili
- Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Hepatology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy
| | - Francesca Romana Ponziani
- Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Hepatology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome 00168, Italy
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Cui D, Jiang D, Yan C, Liu X, Lv Y, Xie J, Chen Y. Immune Checkpoint Molecules Expressed on CD4 + T Cell Subsets in Chronic Asymptomatic Hepatitis B Virus Carriers With Hepatitis B e Antigen-Negative. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:887408. [PMID: 35572697 PMCID: PMC9093708 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.887408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major public health problem worldwide. Immune checkpoint molecules expressed on CD4+ T cells play critical roles in chronic HBV infection. However, their roles in chronic asymptomatic HBV carriers (ASCs) with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative remain unclear. In this study, we explored the role of immune checkpoint molecules expressed on CD4+ T cell subsets in chronic ASCs with HBeAg-negative. Methods Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the ASCs with HBeAg-negative and healthy controls (HC) were isolated, and immune checkpoint molecules expressed on CD4+ T cell subsets and serum cytokines were detected by flow cytometry. Moreover, the mRNA expressions of immune checkpoint molecules were analyzed by a real-time quantitative PCR assay. Results In comparison with HC, CD4+ T cells highly expressed LAG-3, TIM-3, and PD-1 in PBMCs from chronic ASCs with HBeAg-negative. Interestingly, the expressions of TIM-3 and PD-1 on circulating follicular helper T (Tfh) cells in ASCs were significantly high. Moreover, high expressions of LAG-3, TIM-3, and PD-1 were different among Treg, Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells. In addition, the expressions of TIM-3 and CTLA-4 mRNA in PBMCs from ASCs were significantly elevated. However, the frequency of CTLA-4+CD4+ T cell subsets in PBMCs from ASCs was not different from HC. The levels of six cytokines in serum from ASCs were not clearly different from HC. Conclusion Immune checkpoint molecules highly expressed on CD4+ T cell subsets indicated an important role in chronic ASCs with HBeAg-negative, which provided potential therapeutic targets in the pathogenesis of chronic HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Cui
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Key Laboratory of Clinical In Vitro Diagnostic Techniques of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Blood Transfusion, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Daixi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Cuilin Yan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Key Laboratory of Clinical In Vitro Diagnostic Techniques of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xia Liu
- ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yan Lv
- Department of Blood Transfusion, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jue Xie
- Department of Blood Transfusion, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Key Laboratory of Clinical In Vitro Diagnostic Techniques of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Wu S, Yi W, Gao Y, Deng W, Bi X, Lin Y, Yang L, Lu Y, Liu R, Chang M, Shen G, Hu L, Zhang L, Li M, Xie Y. Immune Mechanisms Underlying Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seroclearance in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients With Viral Coinfection. Front Immunol 2022; 13:893512. [PMID: 35634301 PMCID: PMC9130599 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.893512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
It is considered that chronic hepatitis B patients have obtained functional cure if they get hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance after treatment. Serum HBsAg is produced by cccDNA that is extremely difficult to clear and dslDNA that is integrated with host chromosome. High HBsAg serum level leads to failure of host immune system, which makes it unable to produce effective antiviral response required for HBsAg seroclerance. Therefore, it is very difficult to achieve functional cure, and fewer than 1% of chronic hepatitis B patients are cured with antiviral treatment annually. Some chronic hepatitis B patients are coinfected with other chronic viral infections, such as HIV, HCV and HDV, which makes more difficult to cure. However, it is found that the probability of obtaining HBsAg seroclearance in patients with coinfection is higher than that in patients with HBV monoinfection, especially in patients with HBV/HIV coinfection who have an up to 36% of HBsAg 5-year-seroclerance rate. The mechanism of this interesting phenomenon is related to the functional reconstruction of immune system after antiretroviral therapy (ART). The quantity increase and function recovery of HBV specific T cells and B cells, and the higher level of cytokines and chemokines such as IP-10, GM-CSF, promote HBsAg seroclearance. This review summarizes recent studies on the immune factors that have influence on HBsAg seroconversion in the chronic hepatitis B patients with viral coinfection, which might provide new insights for the development of therapeutic approaches to partially restore the specific immune response to HBV and other viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuling Wu
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Yi
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanjiao Gao
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Deng
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoyue Bi
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yanjie Lin
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Peking University Ditan Teaching Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Liu Yang
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yao Lu
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ruyu Liu
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Min Chang
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ge Shen
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Leiping Hu
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Minghui Li
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Peking University Ditan Teaching Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yao Xie
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Peking University Ditan Teaching Hospital, Beijing, China
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Hui RWH, Mak LY, Seto WK, Yuen MF. Assessing the developing pharmacotherapeutic landscape in hepatitis B treatment: A spotlight on drugs at phase II clinical trials. Expert Opin Emerg Drugs 2022; 27:127-140. [PMID: 35511483 DOI: 10.1080/14728214.2022.2074977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Functional cure, defined as sustained HBsAg seroclearance, is associated with favorable outcomes in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). While nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are effective in suppressing HBV replication, NAs are unable to induce functional cure at high rates. A range of novel HBV antivirals, aiming to induce functional cure, are currently under development. AREAS COVERED This article covered novel hepatitis B virus (HBV) antivirals that have entered phase II trials. Virus-directing agents covered include entry inhibitors, transcription inhibitors, RNA silencers, core protein allosteric modulators, non-competitive polymerase inhibitors, and viral protein export inhibitors. Immunomodulators covered include innate immune stimulators, T-cell modulators, therapeutic vaccines, and monoclonal antibodies. Upcoming developmental directions would also be discussed. EXPERT OPINION Among novel HBV antivirals, RNA silencers, viral protein export inhibitors (with pegylated interferon) and entry inhibitors (with pegylated interferon) appear to be effective in suppressing HBsAg and may even induce functional cure. The other virus-targeting agents have variable effects on HBV DNA, HBsAg, HBeAg and HBcrAg. Immunomodulators have modest effects on HBsAg, but may have important roles in combination therapy. Upcoming trials will answer important questions on ideal dosing, long-term drug effects, and efficacy of combination regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rex Wan-Hin Hui
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Lung Yi Mak
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Wai-Kay Seto
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Man-Fung Yuen
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Zhu L, Li J, Xu J, Chen F, Wu X, Zhu C. Significance of T-Cell Subsets for Clinical Response to Peginterferon Alfa-2a Therapy in HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients. Int J Gen Med 2022; 15:4441-4451. [PMID: 35509606 PMCID: PMC9058244 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s356696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction The adaptive immune response may reflect the immunomodulatory efficacy during peginterferon alfa-2a (PEG-IFN α-2a) treatment in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. We evaluated the predictive efficiency of T-cell subsets on patient's response to PEG-IFN α-2a treatment. Methods The proportions of CD8+PD-1+, CD8+Tim-3+ and CD4+CD25high T-cells were measured at baseline and week 52 in CHB patients who underwent PEG-IFN α-2a treatment. The proportions of T-cell subsets were compared among different responders and non-responders (determined by biochemical, serological, and virological responses). Results The baseline proportions of the three T-cell subsets were significantly higher in CHB patients (65 cases) than in healthy controls (28 cases), while the proportions declined significantly after 52 weeks of PEG-IFN treatment. Responders (ALT < 40 IU/L, 89.2% [58/65]; HBV DNA < 2.7 log10 IU/ml, 66.2% [43/65]; and HBeAg seroconversion [SR], 53.9% [35/65]) experienced more pronounced declines in the proportion of T-cell subsets compared to non-responders. In particular, the baseline proportions of CD4+CD25high T-cells displayed significant difference between SR and non-SR groups. The stepwise logistic regression analysis identified that CD4+CD25high T-cells combined with baseline HBV DNA and ALT can predict SR and CR (ALT < 40 IU/L, HBV DNA < 2.7 log10 IU/mL and HBeAg seroconversion) after 52 weeks of PEG-IFN treatment with high accuracy. Conclusion PEG-IFN therapy induces significant declines in the proportion of some key T-cell subsets in HBeAg-positive patients. The model constructed with CD4+CD25high T-cells combined with ATL and HBV DNA may help to predict the efficacy of PEG-IFN α-2a therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Hepatology, the Affiliated Infectious Diseases Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Hepatology, the Fifth People’s Hospital of Suzhou, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jin Li
- Central Laboratory, the Affiliated Infectious Diseases Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
- Central Laboratory, the Fifth People’s Hospital of Suzhou, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Junchi Xu
- Central Laboratory, the Affiliated Infectious Diseases Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
- Central Laboratory, the Fifth People’s Hospital of Suzhou, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Fan Chen
- Department of Hepatology, the Affiliated Infectious Diseases Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Hepatology, the Fifth People’s Hospital of Suzhou, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xunxun Wu
- Department of Hepatology, the Affiliated Infectious Diseases Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Hepatology, the Fifth People’s Hospital of Suzhou, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chuanwu Zhu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Hepatology, the Affiliated Infectious Diseases Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Hepatology, the Fifth People’s Hospital of Suzhou, Suzhou, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
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Liao G, Liu Z, Xia M, Chen H, Wu H, Li B, Yu T, Cai S, Zhang X, Peng J. Soluble Programmed Cell Death-1 is a Novel Predictor of HBsAg Loss in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients When Long-Term Nucleos(t)ide Analog Treatment is Discontinued. Infect Drug Resist 2022; 15:2347-2357. [PMID: 35517900 PMCID: PMC9065130 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s360202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Guichan Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ziying Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Muye Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Hongjie Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Houji Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Bing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tao Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shaohang Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jie Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China
- Correspondence: Jie Peng, State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 20 6278 7428, Fax +86 20 8771 9653, Email
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Jeng WJ, Chen CH, Wang YW, Pan MH, Lin CW, Lin CY, Yang HI. The association between sPD-1 levels versus liver biochemistry and viral markers in chronic hepatitis B patients: a comparative study of different sPD-1 assays. Virol J 2022; 19:59. [PMID: 35361235 PMCID: PMC8973902 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-022-01777-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Soluble programmed death-1 (sPD-1) is a novel immune markers and possibly predictive of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) outcome. However, results were inconsistent by different ELISA kits. This study aims to compare the characteristics and correlations with other markers for sPD-1 measured by MyBioSource (MB) and R&D (RD) kits. METHODS A total of 254 untreated CHB patients from three sites were assayed with sPD-1 by MB and RD kits at the same time. Spearman's correlations between the kits, and those with viral markers and ALT levels were calculated. Multivariate linear regression analysis was applied for independent factors associated with the sPD-1 levels. RESULTS There's no correlation between sPD-1 level using MB and RD assays. sPD-1 by MB correlated profoundly with HBsAg (r = 0.8311, P < 0.0001), HBV DNA (r = 0.3896, P < 0.0001), and ALT levels (r = 0.1604, P = 0.0105) while an opposite trend by RD kit (r = - 0.0644, P = 0.3109; r = 0.2554, P < 0.0001; r = 0.4417, P < 0.0001, respectively for the 3 markers). In the multivariate linear regression analysis, HBsAg and ALT levels was the major factor associated with sPD-1 levels by MB and RD, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The characteristics and correlations with host/viral markers of sPD-1 by the two kits are different and leading to different associations on clinical outcomes of CHB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Juei Jeng
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, No. 5, Fuxing Street, Guishan Dist., Taoyuan City 333, Taiwan, ROC. .,Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. .,Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Chien-Hung Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Branch, No 123, Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung Hsiang, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. .,Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan City, Taiwan.
| | - Yi-Wen Wang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Hung Pan
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Wei Lin
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, No. 5, Fuxing Street, Guishan Dist., Taoyuan City 333, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Chun-Yen Lin
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch, No. 5, Fuxing Street, Guishan Dist., Taoyuan City 333, Taiwan, ROC.,Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Hwai-I Yang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, 128 Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 115, Taiwan. .,Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
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Wang J, Hou H, Mao L, Wang F, Yu J, Luo Y, Lin Q, Sun Z. TIGIT Signaling Pathway Regulates Natural Killer Cell Function in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 8:816474. [PMID: 35265633 PMCID: PMC8898961 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.816474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objective Persistent infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and liver damage in immune active chronic hepatitis B (CHB) could be partly due to the overreaction of natural killer (NK) cells, including pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity. An immunosuppressive receptor, T-cell immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine–based inhibitory motif (ITIM) domain (TIGIT) is specifically expressed in NK cells. This study aims to investigate the role of the TIGIT signaling pathway in regulating NK cell functions in patients with CHB. Method We comparatively assessed the expression of TIGIT in NK cells of patients with immune active CHB (CHB-IA), carriers of immune control chronic HBV (CHB-IC), and healthy controls (HCs), and then explored mechanisms of the TIGIT signaling pathway in regulating NK cell-mediated liver injury by different molecular assessments. Result The expression of TIGIT in NK cells was enhanced in CHB-IC but was reduced in CHB-IA compared with the HC group. In patients with CHB-IA, the expression of TIGIT was inversely correlated with intensity of the liver damage. Moreover, TIGIT-NK cells show higher IFN-γ secretion capability, degranulation activity, and cytotoxicity but lower apoptosis than TIGIT+ NK cells. Blockade of the TIGIT pathway with anti-TIGIT antibody increased NK cell function, while activation of the TIGIT pathway with TIGIT Fc and CD155 Fc chimera protein down-regulated NK cell function. Conclusion Our data showed that the TIGIT signaling pathway participates in NK cell impairment, which could be used as a new therapeutic target to protect patients with chronic HBV infection from severe liver injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Wang
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Tongji Medical College, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongyan Hou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lie Mao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Yu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ying Luo
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qun Lin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ziyong Sun
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Song HF, Chen XJ, Tang PJ, Xu P, Huang ZY, Wang XF. Clinical Significance of BTLA and HVEM Expression on Circulating CD4 + T and CD8 + T Cells in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Viral Immunol 2022; 35:291-302. [PMID: 35196150 DOI: 10.1089/vim.2021.0134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) and herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM) expression on the surface of circulating CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) was investigated to explore their relationship with hepatitis B virus (HBV) clinical parameters. Both BTLA and HVEM were significantly upregulated on CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells of CHB patients compared with healthy controls (p < 0.01). Intriguingly, in CHB patients, the percentage of BTLA expression was positively correlated with that of HVEM (CD4+ T cells: r = 0.5461, p < 0.001 and CD8+ T cells: r = 0.4206, p < 0.01). Moreover, the percentage of BTLA expression was positively correlated with the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (CD4+ T cells: r = 0.3136, p < 0.05 and CD8+ T cells: r = 0.3159, p < 0.05) and alanine aminotransaminase (ALT) (CD4+ T cells: r = 0.3177, p < 0.05 and CD8+ T cells: r = 0.3311, p < 0.05). At the same time, the percentage of HVEM expression was also positively correlated with AST levels (CD4+ T cells: r = 0.3721, p < 0.05 and CD8+ T cells: r = 0.3325, p < 0.05) and ALT (CD4+ T cells: r = 0.3689, p < 0.05 and CD8+ T cells: r = 0.3476, p < 0.05). However, the percentage of BTLA and HVEM expression did not show significant relevance to HBV viral load. Further study demonstrated that BTLA inhibitory signaling could significantly inhibit T cell proliferation, activation, and cytokine production under optimal T cell receptor signaling (p < 0.05). Thereby, our findings indicate that the increased BTLA and HVEM expression on the surface of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells might represent a certain clinical significance and be involved in CHB progression during T cell exhaustion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-Feng Song
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Central Lab, The Affiliated Infectious Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Juan Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Pei-Jun Tang
- Central Lab, The Affiliated Infectious Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Ping Xu
- Central Lab, The Affiliated Infectious Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Zi-Yi Huang
- Jiangsu Institute of Clinical Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal tumor Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xue-Feng Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
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Hui RWH, Mak LY, Seto WK, Yuen MF. RNA interference as a novel treatment strategy for chronic hepatitis B infection. Clin Mol Hepatol 2022; 28:408-424. [PMID: 35172540 PMCID: PMC9293617 DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2022.0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality. Functional cure of CHB, defined as sustainable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance, is associated with improved clinical outcomes. However, functional cure is rarely attainable by current treatment modalities. RNA interference (RNAi) by small-interfering RNA (siRNA) and anti-sense oligonucleotide (ASO) has been studied as a novel treatment strategy for CHB. RNAi targets post-transcriptional messenger RNAs and pregenomic RNAs to reduce hepatitis B virus (HBV) antigen production and viral replication. By reducing viral antigens, host immune reconstitution against HBV may also be attained. Phase I/II trials on siRNAs have demonstrated them to be safe and well-tolerated. siRNA is effective when given in monthly doses with different total number of doses according to different trial design, and can lead to sustainable dose-dependent mean HBsAg reduction by 2–2.5 log. Incidences of HBsAg seroclearance after siRNA therapy have also been reported. ASOs have also been studied in early phase trials, and a phase Ib study using frequent dosing regimen within 4 weeks could achieve similar HBsAg reduction of 2 log from baseline. Given the established efficacy and safety of nucleos(t) ide analogues (NAs), future RNAi regimens will likely include NA backbone. While the current evidence on RNAi appears promising, it remains undetermined whether the potent HBsAg reduction by RNAi can result in a high rate of HBsAg seroclearance with durability. Data on RNAi from phase IIb/III trials are keenly anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rex Wan-Hin Hui
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Lung-Yi Mak
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Wai-Kay Seto
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Man-Fung Yuen
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Humoral immunity in hepatitis B virus infection: Rehabilitating the B in HBV. JHEP REPORTS : INNOVATION IN HEPATOLOGY 2022; 4:100398. [PMID: 35059620 PMCID: PMC8760517 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2021.100398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Insights into the immunopathogenesis of chronic HBV infections are fundamental in the quest for novel treatment approaches aimed at a functional cure. While much is known about the ineffective HBV-specific T-cell responses that characterise persistent HBV replication, B cells have been left largely understudied. However, an important role for humoral immunity during the natural history of HBV infections, as well as after functional cure, has been inadvertently revealed by the occurrence of HBV flares following B cell-depleting treatments. Herein, we review our current understanding of the role of the humoral immune response in chronic HBV, both at the level of HBV-specific antibody production and at the phenotypic and broader functional level of B cells. The recent development of fluorescently labelled HBV proteins has given us unprecedented insights into the phenotype and function of HBsAg- and HBcAg-specific B cells. This should fuel novel research into the mechanisms behind dysfunctional HBsAg-specific and fluctuating, possibly pathogenic, HBcAg-specific B-cell responses in chronic HBV. Finally, novel immunomodulatory treatments that partly target B cells are currently in clinical development, but a detailed assessment of their impact on HBV-specific B-cell responses is lacking. We plead for a rehabilitation of B-cell studies related to both the natural history of HBV and treatment development programmes.
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