Comparison of different inhibitory pathways in hepatitis B virus-specific CD8+ T cell exhaustion

Objectives: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by a gradual loss of virus-specific CD8+ T cell functionality. Exhausted HBV-specific CD8+ T cells fail to control viral replication, leading to continued liver inflammation, cirrhosis and development of hepatocellular carcinoma. This deprivation of CD8+ T cell effector functions is mediated by multiple mechanisms, such as inhibitory receptors expressed on the cell surface (e.g. PD-1), inhibitory molecules (e.g. IL-10), lack of CD4+ T cell help or direct elimination by natural killer (NK) cells. Previous studies have shown that a blockade of…