Impaired Thymic Output in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

TY - JOUR

T1 - Impaired Thymic Output in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

AU - Hartling, Hans Jakob

AU - Gaardbo, Julie Christine

AU - Ronit, Andreas

AU - Salem, Mohammad

AU - Laye, Matthew

AU - Clausen, Mette R

AU - Skogstrand, Kristin

AU - Gerstoft, Jan

AU - Ullum, Henrik

AU - Poulsen, Susanne Dam

PY - 2013/10

Y1 - 2013/10

N2 - 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+ and CD8+ T cells as well as telomere length and interferon-γ production in HCV-infected patients with (n = 25) and without (n = 26) fibrosis as well as in healthy controls (n = 24). Decreased proportions of CD4+ and CD8+ 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), P = 0.004 and 39.1% (31.6-55.0), P = 0.010, respectively). Furthermore, HCV-infected patients with fibrosis presented with a higher proportion of CD4+ T cells expressing CD127 compared with HCV-infected patients without fibrosis [88.4% (84.5-91.0) versus 83.8% (79.9-86.8), P = 0.016]. Thus, impaired thymic output in HCV infection was found, and high proportion of CD127+ T cells may illustrate a compensatory mechanism to preserve T cell counts.

AB - 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+ and CD8+ T cells as well as telomere length and interferon-γ production in HCV-infected patients with (n = 25) and without (n = 26) fibrosis as well as in healthy controls (n = 24). Decreased proportions of CD4+ and CD8+ 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), P = 0.004 and 39.1% (31.6-55.0), P = 0.010, respectively). Furthermore, HCV-infected patients with fibrosis presented with a higher proportion of CD4+ T cells expressing CD127 compared with HCV-infected patients without fibrosis [88.4% (84.5-91.0) versus 83.8% (79.9-86.8), P = 0.016]. Thus, impaired thymic output in HCV infection was found, and high proportion of CD127+ T cells may illustrate a compensatory mechanism to preserve T cell counts.

U2 - 10.1111/sji.12096

DO - 10.1111/sji.12096

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 23841696

SN - 0300-9475

VL - 78

SP - 378

EP - 386

JO - Scandinavian Journal of Immunology

JF - Scandinavian Journal of Immunology

IS - 4

ER -