Liver-Resident Memory CD8⁺ T Cells: Possible Roles in Chronic HBV Infection

• Main Authors: Ji Won Han, Eui-Cheol Shin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: tissue-resident T cell; liver-resident T cell; chronic HBV infection
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/1/283

Achieving a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection or complete elimination of HBV covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) has been challenging in the treatment of patients with chronic HBV infection. Although novel antivirals are being investigated, improving HBV-specific adaptive immune responses is also important for durable viral clearance. Tissue-resident memory CD8⁺ T (T_RM) cells were recently reported as a T-cell population that resides in peripheral tissues and does not recirculate. T_RM cells have been studied in the livers of mice and humans. Liver T_RM cells have distinct characteristics compared to T cells in peripheral blood or other tissues, which may be associated with the unique microenvironment of the liver. In this review, we describe the characteristics of liver T_RM cells and their implications in chronic HBV infection. We emphasize that liver T_RM cells can be an immunotherapeutic target for the treatment of chronic HBV infection.