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Cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity to hepatitis B virus DNA-transfected HepG2 cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B

  • Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
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Summary

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity for hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA-transfected HepG2 cells (designated HB3-5), which secrete HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV particles, was investigated in 31 patients with chronic HBV infection (18 chronic hepatitis and 13 asymptomatic carriers).51Cr-labeled HB3-5 with A2 as a major HLA class I antigen served as target cells and T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells as effector cells. The CTL activity was measured by a51Cr release assay. Patients were divided into two groups, the A2 group bearing HLA-A2 and the non-A2 group not bearing HLA-A2. Chronic hepatitis patients in the A2 group showed increased HBV Ag-specific cytotoxicity compared with that seen in the non-A2 group (5.2±3.1% vs. 0.9±1.4%; means±SD, P < 0.01). In the A2 group with chronic hepatitis, the cytotoxicity was greater in anti-HBe positive patients than in HBeAg positive patients (8.6±1.9% vs. 3.4±2.0%, P <0.01), and saymptomatic carriers showed less cytotoxicity (0.35±0.31%, P < 0.001) compared with chronic hepatitis patients. In the non-A2 group, HBV Ag-specific CTL activity was negligible in most patients and thus no differences were found among all patient groups. The HBV Ag-specific cytotoxicity was inhibited by antibodies to CD3, HLA class I and hepatitis B nucleocapsid antigens. Removal of CD8+ cells also resulted in marked decrease in the cytotoxicity. These findings indicate that HBV Ag-specific cytotoxicity reflects liver cell damage and HBeAg/anti-HBe status. Furthermore, our assay system appears to be useful to assess CTL response in patients with chronic HBV infection.Gastroenterol Jpn I993;28:657-665.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Third Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, 65 Tsuruma-cho, Showa-ku, 466, Nagoya, Japan

    Yuji Ito, Shinichi Kakumu M.D., Kentaro Yoshioka, Takaji Wakita & Tetsuya Ishikawa

  2. Department of Gene Research, Cancer Institute, Tokyo, Japan

    Katsuro Koike

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  1. Yuji Ito
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  2. Shinichi Kakumu M.D.
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  3. Kentaro Yoshioka
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  4. Takaji Wakita
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  5. Tetsuya Ishikawa
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  6. Katsuro Koike
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Ito, Y., Kakumu, S., Yoshioka, K. et al. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity to hepatitis B virus DNA-transfected HepG2 cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Gastroenterol Jpn 28, 657–665 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02806346

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02806346

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