Role of the coinhibitory receptor cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 on apoptosis-Prone CD8 T cells in persistent hepatitis B virus infection

Abstract

CTLA-4 is expressed by HBV-specific CD8 T cells with high levels of Bim and helps to drive this proapoptotic phenotype. CTLA-4 blockade could form one arm of a therapeutic approach to modulate the diverse patterns of coregulation of T-cell exhaustion in this heterogeneous disease.