CD4+ T Cells in Chronic Hepatitis B and T Cell-Directed Immunotherapy

Sonja I Buschow1, Diahann T S L Jansen1

  • 1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Cells
|June 2, 2021
PubMed

The impaired T cell responses observed in chronic hepatitis B (HBV) patients are considered to contribute to the chronicity of the infection. Research on this impairment has been focused on CD8+ T cells because of their cytotoxic effector function; however, CD4+ T cells are crucial in the proper development of these long-lasting effector CD8+ T cells. In this review, we summarize what is known about CD4+ T cells in chronic HBV infection and discuss the importance and opportunities of including CD4+ T cells in T cell-directed immunotherapeutic strategies to cure chronic HBV.

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