title: Kinetics of hepatitis B surface antigen-specific immune responses in acute and chronic hepatitis B or after HBs vaccination: stimulation of the in vitro antibody response by interferon gamma.
abstract: Because cellular and humoral immune responses against the hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBs) might be crucial to overcome HBV infection, HBs-specific B- and T-cell responses of HBV patients and HBs vaccine recipients were analyzed quantitatively and functionally. In patients with acute hepatitis B (AHB), transient high anti-HBs-secreting B-cell frequencies were observed early after clinical onset, whereas 1 patient who probably developed chronic infection and chronic HBV carriers had absent or weak B- and T-cell responses. In HBs vaccine recipients, maximal HBs-specific B- and T-cell responses were detected after the first injection that decreased gradually before anti-HBs antibodies appeared in serum. Years after vaccination, anti-HBs-secreting B cells were enriched in the bone marrow. After in vitro stimulation with HBsAg, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of only 1 of 5 acute and 1 of 6 chronic HBV patients, but of all 6 vaccine recipients, secreted varying amounts of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), but no interleukin-4 (IL-4) or IL-5. Furthermore, the addition of IFN-gamma, but not of IL-2, -4, -12, or IFN-alpha, resulted in strong increases of anti-HBs-secreting B cells in vaccine recipients and chronic carriers. In conclusion, circulating anti-HBs-secreting B cells were significantly higher in early acute hepatitis B or early after HBs vaccination than in chronic hepatitis B and decreased in the follow-up as a result of compartmentalization to lymphoid tissues. Release of IFN-gamma by antigen-stimulated T cells might be critical for anti-HBs formation.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: W O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Böcher
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herzog-Hauff
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schlaak
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Meyer zum Büschenfeld
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Löhr
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D004279:DNA, Viral; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007371:Interferon-gamma