Rehermann B, Lau D, Hoofnagle J H, Chisari F V
Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA.
J Clin Invest. 1996 Apr 1;97(7):1655-65. doi: 10.1172/JCI118592.
Clearance of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) during acute hepatitis is associated with a strong, polyclonal, multispecific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response to the viral envelope, nucleocapsid and polymerase proteins that persists for decades after clinical recovery. In contrast, chronically infected patients usually fail to mount a strong CTL response to this virus. In this study we demonstrate that chronically infected patients who experience a spontaneous or interferon-induced remission develop a CTL response to HBV that is similar in strength and specificity to patients who have recovered from acute hepatitis. The results suggest that specific immunotherapeutic enhancement of the CTL response to HBV should be possible in chronically infected patients, and that it could lead to viral clearance in these individuals with resolution of chronic liver disease.
急性肝炎期间乙肝病毒（HBV）的清除与针对病毒包膜、核衣壳和聚合酶蛋白的强烈、多克隆、多特异性细胞毒性T淋巴细胞（CTL）反应相关，这种反应在临床康复后会持续数十年。相比之下，慢性感染患者通常无法对该病毒产生强烈的CTL反应。在本研究中，我们证明经历自发或干扰素诱导缓解期的慢性感染患者会产生针对HBV的CTL反应，其强度和特异性与从急性肝炎中康复的患者相似。结果表明，在慢性感染患者中特异性免疫治疗增强针对HBV的CTL反应应该是可行的，并且这可能导致这些个体的病毒清除以及慢性肝病的缓解。
