Expression profiles of transcription factors for special CD4(+) T-cell subsets in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with hepatitis B virus infection

This study is to characterize the transcription factor expression profiles for the peripheral CD4(+) T-cell subsets, and analyze its associations with the clinical measures of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Totally 275 subjects were included. The expression levels of transcription factors (T-bet, GATA-3, Foxp3, RORγt, and Bcl-6) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were determined by the real-time fluorimetry quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR). Lowest expression levels of all these transcription factors were observed for the HBsAb(–) group, which were higher in the HBsAb(+) and RHB groups. The T-bet/GATA-3 ratios in the CHB and RHB groups were significantly lower than the HBsAb(–) group, whereas the RORγt/Foxp3 ratios in the AHB and RHB groups were significantly higher than the CHB and HBsAb(+) groups. Furthermore, the RORγt mRNA expression levels were significantly different among groups with different disease severities or with different alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. The asymptomatic carrier (AsC) group and the group with ALT ≤ 40 had the highest express level. The mRNA expression levels of T-bet, GATA-3, Foxp3, and RORγt varied along with the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, with AST ≤ 40 having the highest expression levels. In addition, significant differences were observed in the transcription factor expression levels between the group with the serum HBV DNA load of (1.000–9.999) × 10(4) copies/mL and other groups. Expression profile of critical transcription factors for peripheral CD4(+) T-cell subsets may indicate clinical outcomes of HBV infection.