Abnormal CD4¿+¿T helper (Th) 1 cells and activated memory B cells are associated with type III asymptomatic mixed cryoglobulinemia in HCV infection

Research

Fanyun Kong¹², Wei Zhang¹, Bo Feng¹, Henghui Zhang¹, Huiying Rao¹, Jianghua Wang¹, Xu Cong¹ and Lai Wei^1*

• *
  Corresponding author: Lai Wei [email protected]

Author Affiliations

¹ Peking University People¿s Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hepatitis C and Immunotherapy for Liver Diseases, No.11 Xizhimen South Street, Beijing 100044, China

² Department of Pathogenic biology and Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Xuzhou Medical College, 84 West Huaihai Road, Xuzhou 221002, Jiangsu Province, China

For all author emails, please log on.

Virology Journal 2015, 12:100 
doi:10.1186/s12985-015-0324-2

Published: 1 July 2015

Abstract (provisional)

Background Mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated
with abnormal immune responses mediated by T cells and B cells, while the relationships
of different subsets of CD4?+?T helper (Th) cells, B cells and associated cytokines
with type III asymptomatic MC in HCV infection are poorly understood. Methods Fifty-four
chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and 23 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in
the study. Serum cryoglobulins were detected by cryoprecipitation. The types of cryoglobulin
were determined by western blot. The phenotypes and frequencies of Th cell and B cell
subsets were detected by flow cytometric analysis. The cytokines IFN-?, IL-4, IL-17,
IL-21, IL-22, and TGF-? were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results
Twenty-six CHC patients were detected with type III asymptomatic MC. The frequencies
of Th2, Th17, follicular helper T (Tfh cells), Th22, and tissue-like B cells were
significantly higher in CHC patients compared to HCs, while these cell subsets were
not significantly different between CHC patients and HCV-related MC patients. The
frequencies of Th1 and activated memory B cells increased in HCV-related MC patients
compared to HCs, although the difference between the two cell subsets in CHC patients
and HCs was not significant. The frequency of regulatory T cells (Treg cells) was
higher in CHC patients than in HCV-related MC patients and HCs. Higher expressions
of serum IFN-?, IL-17, IL-21, and IL-22 were observed in CHC patients than in HCs,
but the differences were not significantly different in CHC patients and HCV-related
MC patients. The frequency of Th1 cells was associated with activated memory B cells
in HCV-related MC patients, and the frequency of Th1 cells and activated memory B
cells was closely related to HCV RNA in HCV-related MC patients. Conclusions The increased
frequencies of Th17 cells, Tfh cells, Th22 cells, Treg cells, cytokines IL-17, IL-21,
IL-22, and tissue-like B cells, were related to HCV infection but not type III asymptomatic
MC. Higher frequencies of Th1 cells and activated memory B cells were associated with
type III asymptomatic MC in HCV infection.