B cell homeostasis in chronic hepatitis C virus-related mixed cryoglobulinemia is maintained through naive B cell apoptosis.

ABSTRACT:

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Mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) is the most common extrahepatic manifestation of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Although the formation of inflammation-triggering immune complexes is driven by clonal expansions of autoreactive B cells, we found total B cell numbers paradoxically reduced in HCV-infected patients with MC. HCV patients with MC (n = 17) also displayed a reduced number and a reduced frequency of naïve B cells compared with HCV-infected patients without MC (n = 19), hepatitis B virus-infected patients (n = 10), and uninfected controls (n = 50). This was due to an increased sensitivity of naïve B cells to apoptosis resulting in a reduction in the size of the naïve B cell subset. In addition, 4-fold expansion and skewing (lower T1/T2-ratio) of the immatur

SUBMITTER: Holz LE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3421034 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature