How the Hepatitis B Virus Establishes Persistent Infection:
New research sheds light on how a hepatitis B viral protein stimulates the expansion of immune cells that impair antiviral responses, according to a study published April 18 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Haitao Guo of the Indiana University School of Medicine, Bin Wang and Jiming Zhang of Fudan University, and colleagues. The findings potentially explain how the hepatitis B virus (HBV) establishes and maintains chronic infection, and could lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
HBV is a blood-borne pathogen that chronically infects approximately 350 million people worldwide, and more than 780,000 patients die annually due to HBV-related liver diseases. Chronic HBV infection is associated with impaired virus-specific T-cell responses. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are immune cells known to play a critical role in impairing antiviral T-cell responses. In addition, the hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) -- a hepatitis B viral protein -- may represent a viral strategy to establish persistent infection, but the mechanism remains largely unknown. In the new study, the researchers examined the mechanisms underlying the expansion of MDSCs and the suppression of T-cell responses in persistent HBV infection.
The researchers analyzed the circulation frequency of MDSCs in 164 patients with chronic HBV infection and 70 healthy donors. They found that the frequency of circulating MDSCs in HBeAg-positive patients is higher than in HBeAg-negative patients. Moreover, HBeAg induced the expansion of MDSCs through the upregulation of a molecule called indoleamine-2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO), which plays a critical role in the suppression of T-cell proliferation. According to the authors, the findings suggest a novel mechanism in which HBeAg-induced MDSC expansion impairs T-cell function through the IDO pathway and favors the establishment of persistent HBV infection. The HBeAg-MDSC-IDO axis may therefore serve as an immunotherapeutic target of chronic hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B on Wikipedia.
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Friday April 19 2019, @01:11PM
It’s scary, like Vietnam. Sort of like the Vietnam Era. It is my personal Vietnam. This is better than Vietnam. But, it’s more fun. I am very careful with the people. But you can't be too careful. There’s some real danger there. Can I tell you what? AIDS is a disaster. An absolute disaster!!!!
(Score: 2) by nobu_the_bard on Friday April 19 2019, @04:13PM
I just wanted to say this is fascinating, and my understanding too woefully incomplete to give a more insightful post.
I merely hope by mentioning my appreciation I encourage more such posts.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Friday April 19 2019, @05:16PM
I just don't trust Western medicine very far any more. Big Pharma hates cures. Hurts their business when they can't sell lifelong treatments to manage incurable conditions because some interfering medical researchers found a cure.
This research on hepatitis is from China. Paid for by China, supported by China, and released without being under a restrictive copyright. This is just the kind of kick in the ass Western medicine needs. Evidently, medical tourism and Canadian pharmacies aren't enough to curb their greed and fraud. US health care right now is like US automobiles in the 1970s. US automakers could produce utter crap such as the Chevy Vega and Ford Pinto, and the public had little choice but to live with it. Then in the 1980s, the Japanese started beating their brains out with superior quality cars. They had to get better or die. They got better.