title: Hepatitis B virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in patients with acute and chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
abstract: An in vitro model was developed that allowed the analysis of hepatitis B virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in patients suffering from acute and chronic hepatitis B virus infections. Since virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognize endogenously synthesized and processed antigen only when it is presented in the context of autologous HLA class I molecules and since hepatitis B virus does not infect human cells in vitro, a panel of recombinant vaccinia viruses was constructed to induce the expression of hepatitis B virus envelope and nucleocapsid proteins in cultured primary cells or cell lines derived from the patients to be studied. In order for a cytotoxic T lymphocyte response to be detectable with the currently available techniques, a sufficient number of activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes is required. To meet this requirement, lymphocytes freshly isolated from venous blood were stimulated in vitro with recombinant vaccinia-infected and formaldehyde-fixed autologous T lymphoblasts. The presence of hepatitis B virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes, amplified and activated during this induction culture, was demonstrated in a microcytotoxicity assay using 51Cr-labeled, recombinant vaccinia-infected Epstein-Barr virus-immortalized, autologous B lymphocytes as target cells. Using this in vitro model, we were able to demonstrate the presence of hepatitis B virus envelope- and nucleocapsid-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in venous blood from one subject who had recently recovered from an acute hepatitis B virus infection and in three patients suffering from chronic hepatitis B virus infections. No hepatitis B virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes activity was discernible in the venous blood from two vaccine recipients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Gent, Belgium.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van Hecke
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paradijs
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Molitor
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bastin
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pala
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slaoui
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leroux-Roels
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D002213:Capsid / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins