title: Interferon-gamma receptor expression in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: It is known that interferon-gamma (IFN gamma) is not effective in inducing a sustained inhibition of HBV replication in patients with chronic HBV infection in contrast to interferon-alpha (IFN alpha). To determine whether this was related to IFN gamma receptor (IFN gamma-R) underexpression, binding characteristics of IFN gamma to peripheral blood lymphocytes were studied in chronic HBV infection using radioiodinated recombinant IFN gamma. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with chronic HBV infection (n = 20), normal healthy controls (n = 12) and patients with non-viral related chronic liver disease expressed a similar number of IFN gamma-R (medians (ranges): 1891 (1581-2515); 1916 (1589-2441); 1893 (1692-2104) sites/cell, respectively, p = N.S.) with a similar dissociation constant (Kd approximately 0.7-2.7 nM). There was no correlation between IFN gamma-R expression and serum transaminase, serum HBsAg and HBV-DNA titres and liver histology. IFN alpha therapy in vivo also did not enhance IFN gamma-R expression (n = 3). There is therefore, no evidence from this data that IFN gamma-R is underexpressed in patients with chronic HBV infection to account for the difference in clinical response to these two forms of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Liver Studies, King's College Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; D002460:Cell Line; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism*; D017471:Receptors, Interferon; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D017471:Receptors, Interferon; D007371:Interferon-gamma