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Differential Methylation Patterns Predict HBsAg Seroconversion in Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation Patients
Jayesh Kumar Sevak1,2, Mojahidul Islam1, Gayantika Verma1
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver & Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Background:
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) modulates immune epigenetic landscape. Therefore, we investigated immune epigenetic landscape in HBsAg seroconverters and non-seroconverters.
Methods:
Sixteen rHBV patients including seroconverters (SC, n = 7) and non-seroconverters (NSC, n = 9) at baseline and week 24 were recruited. Age matched naïve chronic hepatitis B patients (nCHBV, n = 7) and healthy controls (HC, n = 6) were also included. PBMCs and plasma were subjected to genome-methylation, gene-expression, immunophenotyping, functionality, and cytokines analysis using Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (RRBS), qRT-PCR, flow-cytometry, and cytokine-bead-array.
Results:
In rHBV patients, as compared to nCHBV, there is significant hypomethylation (p < .05) of epigenetic remodellers and immune and metabolic genes like KDM2B, NCOR2 and GATA6, TGF-β, IL-6, IRF8, RPTOR, HK3, specifically at CpG islands. At baseline, HBsAg SC had hypomethylation of KDM2B, COX19, IRF8, TLR5, and hypermethylation of LAG3 compare to NSC. By week-24, SC demonstrated hypomethylation of IL17RA, IFN-γ, TGF-β, STAT5B (p < .05) and correlated with increased plasma IL-6 (p = .009) and decreased LAG3 (p = .01). At baseline and 24 weeks, SC depicted differentiation of HBV-specific CD8+, Tfh, and Th1/17 cells.
Conclusion:
This study identifies hypomethylation of immune genes suggesting enhanced immune response and viral clearance in SC. Conversely, nCHBV and NSC consistently exhibited hypomethylation of LAG3 and TOX, contributing to immune exhaustion.
