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Patients with chronic hepatitis C express a high percentage of CD4+CXCR5+ T follicular helper cells

  • Original Article—Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
  • Published:
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Abstract

Background

T follicular helper (TFH) cells are a subpopulation of T-helper cells which regulate humoral immune responses. The role of TFH cells in viral infection is unclear. This study examined the possible involvement of CD4+CXCR5+ TFH cells in chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection.

Methods

The percentages of peripheral blood CD4+CXCR5+ TFH cells, inducible T-cell costimulator cells, and/or programmed death 1-positive CD4+CXCR5+ TFH cells in 39 HCV-infected patients, 12 patients with spontaneously resolved HCV infection (SR-HCV), and 12 healthy controls were characterized by flow cytometry analysis. The subjects’ serum HCV RNA loads and alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were measured. The potential association of the percentage of peripheral CD4+CXCR5+ TFH cells with clinical data was analyzed.

Results

Higher percentages of peripheral blood CD4+CXCR5+ TFH cells were found in SR-HCV and HCV-infected patients as compared with healthy controls. Interestingly, a statistically significant negative correlation was found between the percentage of CD4+CXCR5+ TFH cells and the HCV RNA load.

Conclusions

These data suggest that CD4+CXCR5+ TFH cells may participate in HCV-related immune responses. Increased TFH cells in peripheral blood may help to control HCV infection.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. (No. 30972610), Jilin Province Science and Technology Agency (No. 200705128 and 20110716), the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Projects of Jilin Province (08sys-086), The Health Department Research Projects in Jilin Province (2009Z054), and Cutting-edge Science and Interdisciplinary Innovation Projects of Jilin University.

Conflict of interest

The authors state that they have no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Central Laboratory, The Second Part of First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130032, China

    Junyan Feng, Hui Guo, Xiguang Sun, Juan Wang, Lijun Xu, Zhenyu Jiang, Bingchuan Xu & Yanfang Jiang

  2. Department of Infection, Heilongjiang Province Hospital, Harbin, China

    Xiaoli Hu

  3. Department of Hepatology, First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China

    Xiaoli Hu & Junqi Niu

Authors
  1. Junyan Feng
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  2. Xiaoli Hu
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  3. Hui Guo
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  4. Xiguang Sun
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  5. Juan Wang
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  6. Lijun Xu
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  7. Zhenyu Jiang
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  8. Bingchuan Xu
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  9. Junqi Niu
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  10. Yanfang Jiang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Junqi Niu or Yanfang Jiang.

Additional information

J. Feng and X. Hu made equal contributions to this study.

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Feng, J., Hu, X., Guo, H. et al. Patients with chronic hepatitis C express a high percentage of CD4+CXCR5+ T follicular helper cells. J Gastroenterol 47, 1048–1056 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-012-0568-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-012-0568-1

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