Hussein Tamadhur H, Al-Yami Ameera, Mtiraoui Nabil, Gharbi Jawhar, Ben M'hadheb Manel
Genomic, Biotechnology and Antiviral Strategies Research Unit (UR1ES30) DNA Analysis and Sequencing Unit of Common Services for Research (USCR-SAG), Institute of Biotechnology, University of Monastir, Monastir, TUN.
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, SAU.
Cureus. 2025 Aug 18;17(8):e90391. doi: 10.7759/cureus.90391. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronically infects over several million people, often progressing to severe liver disease. Toll-like receptors (), notably , are critical for recognizing viral DNA and driving innate immune responses. Objective The objective of this study is to investigate the downregulation of gene expression in HBV-infected patients, elucidating their role in innate immunity. Methodology A cohort of 434 HBV-positive patients was analyzed for gene expression via real-time PCR. Results The HBV S genotype D (57.6%) was more prevalent than genotype C (42.4%) (p = 0.001). , , , , , , , , and were significantly downregulated in both genotypes as compared to controls, with genotype D showing greater downregulation of , , , and among HBV-positive patients. Conclusion Human gene expression levels are downregulated due to HBV infection, with genotype D predominance suggesting differential immune regulation. These findings underscore the need for targeted HBV therapies informed by genotypic and immunological profiles.
背景 乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）慢性感染着数百万人，常常进展为严重的肝脏疾病。Toll样受体（TLRs），尤其是TLR9，对于识别病毒DNA和驱动先天性免疫反应至关重要。目的 本研究的目的是调查HBV感染患者中TLR基因表达的下调情况，阐明其在先天性免疫中的作用。方法 通过实时PCR分析了一组434例HBV阳性患者的TLR基因表达。结果 HBV S基因型D（57.6%）比基因型C（42.4%）更普遍（p = 0.001）。与对照组相比，两种基因型中的TLR2、TLR3、TLR4、TLR5、TLR7、TLR8、TLR9、TLR10和MD2均显著下调，在HBV阳性患者中，基因型D显示出TLR2、TLR3、TLR7和TLR8的下调程度更大。结论 由于HBV感染，人类TLR基因表达水平下调，基因型D占优势表明存在差异免疫调节。这些发现强调了根据基因型和免疫特征进行针对性HBV治疗的必要性。
