title: Interleukin‑33‑induced immune tolerance is associated with the imbalance of memory and naïve T‑lymphocyte subsets.
abstract: The current study aimed to investigate the distribution of memory and naïve T cell (TN) subsets in hepatitis B virus (HBV)‑infected patients at different immune stages and investigate the effect of interleukin 33 (IL‑33) on the regulation of the T‑cell subsets. The distributions of memory and naïve T cells were detected by flow cytometry. ELISA was conducted to assess the levels of IL‑4, IL‑5, IL‑10, IL‑12, interferon γ and tumor necrosis factor α. The expression levels of IL‑33 and HBV x protein (HBx) were measured by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. By detecting TNs, central memory T cells (TCM) and effector memory T cells (TEM), it was identified that the proportions of TCM and TEM in CD4+ T cells were increased in patients with HBV. The trend observed for levels of CD8+ TCM and TEM was similar to that of CD4+ T cells in the immune tolerance and immune activation groups, however CD8+ TCM and TEM were significantly reduced in patients who underwent treatment. The CD8+ TEM cells appeared to be more sensitive to HBV activation and drug therapy. In addition, IL‑33 stimulation was observed to induce imbalances of CD8+ TN and CD8+ TEM, and while the imbalances were directly regulated by HBx, IL‑33 was not a key factor for the expression of HBx. CD8+ TEM cells may be a sensitive marker to assess the immune state of patients with HBV and the effect of clinical therapy. Treatment targeting IL‑33 may be a potential method to reverse HBV‑induced immune tolerance.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiration, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric ICU, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yufei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin 130000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Cancer Biotherapy Center, Jilin Province People's Hospital, Changchun, Jilin 130000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Munan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Central Laboratory, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yanfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Pathobiology, Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D000067596:Interleukin-33 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000067596:Interleukin-33