The immune mechanism of the nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) in inhibiting HBV replication effectively while having a low sustained virus control rate after drug withdrawal is unclear. B cell immunity and antibody response are the keys to prevent HBV reinfection and keep the virus under control. T-bet+ B, which can be regulated by IL-21, is a newly discovered major effector B cell in protection of pathogens and it is a main subtype of HBsAg-specific B cells. Thus, we suspect that T-bet+ B may play a role in ongoing controlling of the virus after withdraw of NAs in CHB patient. Based on our previous studies on CHB immunity, we use the RNAseq analyse, flow cytometry, and Elispot assay to analyze the frequency, function, and phenotype of B cells in CHB patients with different profiles after withdraw of NAs.
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phenotype of B cells
Timeframe: PBMC were collected 0、4、12、24 week after withdraw the NAs
B cell ELISPOT assay
Timeframe: Cells were stimulated with R-848 (1 μg/ml) and IL-2 (10 ng/ml) for 5 days at 37 °C to aid memory B cell differentiation