title: The characteristic expression of B7-H3 and B7-H4 in liver biopsies from patients with HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure.
abstract: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major public health problem, and HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) has an extremely poor prognosis due to a lack of effective treatments. B7-H3 and B7-H4 are two novel members of the B7 superfamily that are actively involved in regulating the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. However, the intrahepatic expression of both members in HBV-ACLF patients has yet to be described. In this study, we analyzed the expression of B7-H3 and B7-H4 in HBV-ACLF biopsies by immunohistochemistry. Our results showed that both members were observed in all HBV-ACLF samples, and their expression was chiefly observed on infiltrating inflammatory cells and the damaged bile ducts. Immunofluorescence double staining showed that B7-H4 was expressed chiefly on CD3(+)  T cells, CD68(+)  macrophages, CK-18(+)  bile ducts, and CD31(+)  endothelial cells, while B7-H3 was found on all cell types detected. The expression of the programmed death (PD)-1 ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, was also detected in these liver tissues and they were found to be co-expressed with B7-H3 and B7-H4. These results suggest that the B7-family signaling is most likely to affect the pathogenesis of this disease, and a clear understanding of their functional roles may further elucidate the disease process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency, South-West Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Guoning
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Dayan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhihua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fei
authors.forename: Zhunyi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Yuzhang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yongwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D060887:B7 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D001652:Bile Ducts; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001706:Biopsy; D018450:Disease Progression; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011379:Prognosis; D061027:Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand 2 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D060907:V-Set Domain-Containing T-Cell Activation Inhibitor 1 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D060887:B7 Antigens; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen; D015415:Biomarkers; C423236:CD274 protein, human; C423237:CD276 protein, human; C556977:PDCD1LG2 protein, human; D061027:Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand 2 Protein; D060907:V-Set Domain-Containing T-Cell Activation Inhibitor 1; C475826:VTCN1 protein, human