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Review
. 2023 Mar 28:14:1148111.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1148111. eCollection 2023.

Immune checkpoints on T and NK cells in the context of HBV infection: Landscape, pathophysiology and therapeutic exploitation

Lucile Dumolard  1 , Caroline Aspord  1   2 , Patrice N Marche  1 , Zuzana Macek Jilkova  1   3
Affiliations
Review

Immune checkpoints on T and NK cells in the context of HBV infection: Landscape, pathophysiology and therapeutic exploitation

Lucile Dumolard et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

In hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the interplay between the virus and the host immune system is crucial in determining the pathogenesis of the disease. Patients who fail to mount a sufficient and sustained anti-viral immune response develop chronic hepatitis B (CHB). T cells and natural killer (NK) cells play decisive role in viral clearance, but they are defective in chronic HBV infection. The activation of immune cells is tightly controlled by a combination of activating and inhibitory receptors, called immune checkpoints (ICs), allowing the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Chronic exposure to viral antigens and the subsequent dysregulation of ICs actively contribute to the exhaustion of effector cells and viral persistence. The present review aims to summarize the function of various ICs and their expression in T lymphocytes and NK cells in the course of HBV infection as well as the use of immunotherapeutic strategies targeting ICs in chronic HBV infection.

Keywords: HBV; NK cells; T cells; anti-viral activity; immune checkpoint molecules.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Current knowledge about immune checkpoint signalling in T cells and NK cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Current knowledge about immune checkpoint expression on T cells and NK cells during chronic HBV infection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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