Liver-infiltrating lymphocytes in end-stage hepatitis C virus: Subsets, activation status, and chemokine receptor phenotypes

JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY

卷:38

Article

Boisvert, J ; Kunkel, EJ ; Campbell, JJ ; Keeffe, EB ; Butcher, EC ; Greenberg, HB

关键词: liver;    lymphocyte;    phenotype;    hepatitis C;    hepatitis C virus;    immunology;   

DOI  :  10.1016/S0168-8278(02)00328-8

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease, yet little is known about the intrahepatic immune response in end-stage patients. Chemokines and their receptors are important regulators of immunity, particularly in the migration and localization of circulating leukocytes within peripheral tissues. Aims: This report provides a comprehensive comparison of the chemokine receptor and activation phenotype of the major leukocyte subsets present in end-stage HCV-infected and non-HCV infected livers. Methods: Lymphocytes were purified from homogenized explant liver tissue and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: NK cells are the predominant cell type, followed by T cells, B cells and NK-T cells, independent of HCV status. T cells displayed a memory phenotype and low levels of activation markers. CCR5, CXCR3 and CXCR6 were expressed on a large fraction of activated cells, while moderate to low expression of CCR2, CCR6 and CX3CR1 was observed. Several other tissue-specific and inflammatory chemokine receptors were absent from infiltrating lymphocytes. Conclusions: These results identify the chemokine receptors present on infiltrating lymphocytes during end-stage liver disease and suggest that such infiltration is predominantly controlled by non-tissue-specific inflammatory chemokines, a situation that may be distinct from liver homing pathways under normal conditions. (C) 2002 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

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