T cell responses to hepatitis B surface antigen are detectable in non-vaccinated individuals

EXPRESSION OF HEPATITIS B SURFACE ANTIGEN IN SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

The genome of HB V virus of serotype ayw cloned in pBR322 and expression shuttle vector p YES2 were used for construction of the HBsAg chimeric genes and their expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two recombinant plasmids were constructed. One of them contained the coding sequences for the major polypeptide of surface antigen. Another construct carried the major polypeptide with the pre-S2 a...

Natural Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Variants of CD8 T Cell Responses Are Induced by Distinct, Cross-Reactive Epitope Specificities

Priming MHC-I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses to exogenous hepatitis B surface antigen is CD4+ T cell dependent.

MHC-I (Ld)-restricted, S28-39-specific CTL responses are efficiently primed in H-2d BALB/c mice injected with low doses of native hepatitis B surface Ag (HBsAg) lipoprotein particles without adjuvants. Priming of this CTL response by exogenous HBsAg required CD4+ T cell "help" and IL-12: this CTL response could be neither induced in mice depleted of CD4+ T cells by in vivo Ab treatment, nor in ...

Persistence of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen among vaccinated children in a low hepatitis B virus endemic area.

BACKGROUND A potential problem of hepatitis B immunization is that vaccine-induced antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) declines to low levels with age. This study investigated the persistence of anti-HBs in vaccinated children in a low hepatitis B virus (HBV) endemic area. METHODS Plasma samples of 938 children between ages of 8 months and 15 years were tested for the presence ...

Acute exacerbations of chronic type B hepatitis are accompanied by increased T cell responses to hepatitis B core and e antigens. Implications for hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion.

T cell proliferative responses to hepatitis B virus-encoded envelope antigen (S + preS2 + preS1), recombinant core antigen (HBcAg), and natural hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) were examined in 22 HBeAg-positive patients with chronic type B hepatitis and 17 healthy hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers. The results showed that HBeAg-positive patients had (a) higher levels of T cell response...