Impaired Thymic Output in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection. (12th September 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hartling, H. J.; Gaardbo, J. C.; Ronit, A.; Salem, M.; Laye, M.; Clausen, M. R.; Skogstrand, K.; Gerstoft, J.; Ullum, H.; Nielsen, S. D.
• Is Part Of: Scandinavian journal of immunology. Volume 78:Number 4(2013:Oct.)
• Page Start: 378
• Page End: 386
• Publication Date: 2013-09-12
• Subjects: Immunology -- Periodicals; 571.96
• DOI: 10.1111/sji.12096
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0300-9475

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="sji12096-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Altered T cell homeostasis in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been demonstrated. However, it is unknown whether fibrosis is associated with more perturbed T cell homeostasis in chronic HCV infection. The aim of this study was to examine and compare T cell subsets including recent thymic emigrants (RTE), naive, memory, senescent, apoptotic and IL‐7 receptor α (CD127) expressing CD4<sup>+</sup> and CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells as well as telomere length and interferon‐γ production in HCV‐infected patients with (<italic>n</italic> = 25) and without (<italic>n</italic> = 26) fibrosis as well as in healthy controls (<italic>n </italic>= 24). Decreased proportions of CD4<sup>+</sup> and CD8<sup>+</sup> RTE were found in HCV‐infected patients, especially in HCV‐infected patients with fibrosis (14.3% (9.7–23.0) and 28.8% (16.1–40.5), respectively) compared with healthy controls (24.2% (16.3–32.1), <italic>P</italic> = 0.004 and 39.1% (31.6–55.0), <italic>P</italic> = 0.010, respectively). Furthermore, HCV‐infected patients with fibrosis presented with a higher proportion of CD4<sup>+</sup> T cells expressing CD127 compared with HCV‐infected patients without fibrosis [88.4% (84.5–91.0) versus 83.8% (79.9–86.8), <italic>P</italic> = 0.016]. Thus, impaired thymic output in HCV infection was found, and high proportion of CD127<sup>+</sup> T cells may illustrate a compensatory mechanism to preserve T cell counts.</p> </abstract>