| First Author | Ito H | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | Int Immunol | Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 7 | Pages | 869-79 |
| PubMed ID | 18487227 | Mgi Jnum | J:136948 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3797423 | Doi | 10.1093/intimm/dxn046 |
| Citation | Ito H, et al. (2008) Role of Valpha14+ NKT cells in the development of Hepatitis B virus-specific CTL: activation of Valpha14+ NKT cells promotes the breakage of CTL tolerance. Int Immunol 20(7):869-79 |
| abstractText | CTLs are thought to be major effectors for clearing viruses in acute infections including hepatitis B virus (HBV). Persistent HBV infection is characterized by a lack of or a weak CTL response to HBV, which is thought to reflect tolerance to HBV antigens. In the present study, we found that alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer), a ligand for Valpha14-positive NKT cells, strongly enhanced the induction and proliferation of HBV-specific CTLs by HBsAg. In HBsAg transgenic mice, which are thought to be tolerant to HBV-encoded antigens, administration of HBsAg or alpha-GalCer alone failed to induce HBsAg-specific CTLs, but they were induced by co-administration of both compounds. Furthermore, by limiting dilution analysis, we confirmed the existence of HBsAg-specific CTL precursors in the HBsAg transgenic mice immunized with HBsAg and alpha-GalCer. A blocking experiment using antibodies to cytokines and CD40 ligand showed that IL-2 and CD40-CD40L interaction mediate the enhancement of CTL induction caused by alpha-GalCer through NKT cell activation. Our results may open up a new method for clearing the virus from patients with persistent HBV infection. |
