The role of DCs in the immunopathogenesis of chronic HBV infection and the methods of inducing DCs maturation

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the result of an inadequate immune response towards the virus. Dendritic cells (DCs), as the most efficient professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), possess the strongest antigen presenting the effect in the body and can stimulate the initial T cell activation and proliferation. DCs of patients with chronic HBV infection are impaired, resulting in more tolerogenic rather than immunogenic responses, which may contribute to viral persistence. Recently, numerous methods have been developed to induce DCs maturation. To date, recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF) combined with interleukin-4 (rhIL-4) has been a classic culture combination to DCs. The recently classified type III interferon group interferon- (IFN-) displays antiviral, antitumor, and immunoregulatory activity. In our laboratory, we demonstrate that IFN-1 combined with rhGM-CSF and rhIL-4 can significantly increase the expression of DC surface molecules and the secretion of interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon- (IFN-) in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. In this review, we emphasize on the role of DCs in the immunopathogenesis of chronic HBV infection. Importantly, we systematic review that the latest update in the current status of knowledge on the methods of inducing DCs maturation in anti-HBV immunity. What's more, we conclude that IFN-1 combined with GM-CSF and IL-4 can induce DCs maturation, which could become a possibility to be applied to the autologus dendritic cell vaccine to treat chronic hepatitis B. J. Med. Virol. 88:13-20, 2016. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.