Fang Jiajie, Zhuge Lu, Rao Heping, Huang Shanshan, Jin Lingxiang, Li Jie
1 Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
2 Department of Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Genet Test Mol Biomarkers. 2019 Feb;23(2):118-123. doi: 10.1089/gtmb.2018.0092.
MicroRNA-155 (miR-155) is an important regulator of immune responses in humans. However, its role in T-cell activation in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains unclear.
Eighty-one patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 77 HBV carriers, and 51 healthy controls were recruited. HBV DNA and serologic tests were carried out for each subject. Levels of miR-155 in peripheral blood were detected by quantitative reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction. Immune activation of T-cells was determined by detection of surface molecules CD38 and HLA-DR using flow cytometry.
We found higher miR-155 levels in CD4 and CD8 T-cells of CHB patients than HBV carriers or healthy controls (p < 0.01), moreover, miR-155 levels in the CD8 T-cells of HBV carriers were higher than in healthy controls (p < 0.01). Furthermore, immune activation of CD4 and CD8 T-cells in CHB patients was much higher than in healthy controls (p < 0.01).
Our findings suggest that miR-155 expression positively correlates with T-cell activation, especially in CHB patients, and is a potential biomarker for immune activation and disease progression in HBV infection.
微小RNA - 155（miR - 155）是人类免疫反应的重要调节因子。然而，其在乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）感染中对T细胞活化的作用仍不清楚。
招募了81例慢性乙型肝炎（CHB）患者、77例HBV携带者和51例健康对照者。对每个受试者进行HBV DNA和血清学检测。通过定量逆转录/聚合酶链反应检测外周血中miR - 155的水平。使用流式细胞术通过检测表面分子CD38和HLA - DR来确定T细胞的免疫活化。
我们发现CHB患者的CD4和CD8 T细胞中的miR - 155水平高于HBV携带者或健康对照者（p < 0.01），此外，HBV携带者的CD8 T细胞中的miR - 155水平高于健康对照者（p < 0.01）。此外，CHB患者的CD4和CD8 T细胞的免疫活化远高于健康对照者（p < 0.01）。
我们的研究结果表明，miR - 155表达与T细胞活化呈正相关，尤其是在CHB患者中，并且是HBV感染中免疫活化和疾病进展的潜在生物标志物。
