title: Hepatitis B virus antigen-specific T-cell activation in patients with acute and chronic hepatitis B.
abstract: Since the hepatitis B virus is noncytopathic, it is generally believed that the individual specific immune response determines the course of infection. The lack of data about hepatitis B virus-specific T-cell reactions in acute infection led us to investigate the specific cellular immune response of infected individuals in terms of proliferation, and gamma-interferon and lymphotoxin production. Our results demonstrate that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from patients with acute and chronic hepatitis B respond weakly to HBsAg. In contrast, patients with acute hepatitis show a vigorous response to the nucleocapsid antigen (HBcAg) in terms of proliferation and lymphokine production, while only few chronic virus carriers gave a proliferative response. Either of the antigens could activate lymphocytes to produce gamma-interferon and lymphotoxin, cytokines which may modulate antiviral immune response.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Immunologie, Universität München, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Spengler
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schraut
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zachoval
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eisenburg
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eichenlaub
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Riethmüller
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paumgartner
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Ziegler-Heitbrock
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007700:Kinetics; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma