title: Gamma Delta T-lymphocytes in Hepatitis C and Chronic Liver Disease.
abstract: Discovered 30 years ago, gamma delta (γδ) T-lymphocytes remain an intriguing and enigmatic T-cell subset. Although in humans they comprise a small fraction of the total circulating T-lymphocyte pool, they represent an important T-cell subset in tissues such as the liver, with roles bridging the innate and adaptive immune systems. The associations of γδ T-lymphocytes with chronic liver disease have been explored - however, there remain conflicting data as to whether these T-cells are pathogenic or protective. In patients with some forms of liver disease, their expansion in the periphery and especially in the liver may indeed help pathogen clearance, while in other conditions their presence may, in contrast, contribute to disease progression. γδ T-cells can also express CD161, a C-type lectin, and such cells have been found to be involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disease. CD161+ T-cells of diverse subsets are known to be enriched in the livers of patients with chronic hepatitis C. This article serves to provide a review of the γδ T-cell population and its role in hepatitis C and other chronic liver diseases, and also explores a potential role of the CD161+ γδ T-cells in liver diseases.
authors.affiliation: Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research , Oxford , UK.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rajoriya
authors.affiliation: Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research , Oxford , UK.
authors.forename: Joannah Ruth
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fergusson
authors.affiliation: Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital , Birmingham , UK ; NIHR Biomedical Research Unit and Centre for Liver Research, University of Birmingham , Birmingham , UK.
authors.forename: Joanna A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Leithead
authors.affiliation: Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research , Oxford , UK ; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford Radcliffe Hospital , Oxford , UK.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Klenerman
keywords: CD161; gamma delta T-lymphocytes; γδ T-cells