mRNA profile of CD8 T cells from chronic HBV patients. Homo sapiens

The low frequency of HBV-specific CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood of CHB patients has limited studies of the mechanisms underlying HBV-induced T cell exhaustion. Similar to the expansion defect displayed in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells, TCR-induced proliferation of global CD8+ T cells is impaired in a fraction of chronic HBV (CHB) patients. Thus, examining the molecular regulation of global CD8+ T cell function in CHB patients may provide insight into the exhaustion of HBV-specific CD8+ T cells. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression of CD8 T cells from CHB patients who have not received anti-viral treatment. Overall design: Fifteen milliliters of blood was drawn from eachof three CHB patients and three healthy donors. PBMCs were enriched using Ficoll, and CD8+ T cells were purified using positive selection beads to a purity of >95% (Miltenyi Biotec, Auburn, CA). Total RNA was extracted using a mirVana isolation kit (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA).