Panels d and e are excerpts from panels b and c. HLA-A*02:03/02:06/02:07 were capable of responding to Env256-270. Env256-270-specific CD8+ T cells tolerated amino acid variations within the epitope recognized in HBV genotypes B and C. This suggests that Env256-270 in SHBs is vital in HBV-specific T cell immunity following autologous moDC development. It might be a potential target epitope for dendritic-cell-based immunotherapy for CHB individuals with total viral suppression by long-term NAs treatment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00705-018-4095-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Intro Over 240 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis B disease (HBV), resulting in about 1 million deaths per year due to liver failure or liver tumor [1]. Interferon (IFN) and nucleot(s)ide analogues (NAs) are currently authorized for antiviral treatment of chronic HBV illness. IFN offers many side effects, and NAs require life-long use. Moreover, even the most potent antiviral providers cannot eliminate the risk of liver cancer [2], and the combination of NAs does not completely eliminate the disease [3, 4]. Therefore, there remains an urgent need for novel therapies for this disease. Immunotherapy offers demonstrated some medical performance in tumors that are associated with an inflammatory or immune response, such as liver tumor, melanoma, and renal cell carcinoma [5C7]. It has Canagliflozin hemihydrate also demonstrated effects on chronic viral illness, including chronic hepatitis B (CHB) [8]. HBV replicates non-cytopathically in hepatocytes, and the virus-related diseases are attributed to chronic immune-mediated inflammatory events [9]. An inflammatory liver associated with HBV illness possesses characteristics that render it a potential target for immunotherapeutic manipulation. For example, lymphocytes are actively recruited to the infected liver [10], and their specific mechanisms to recognize and induce the death of infected Canagliflozin hemihydrate hepatocytes suggest the potential for cytotoxic effector cell activation [11]. In addition, circulating lymphocytes derived from CHB display antiviral activity after expanding with HBV peptides [12]. However, these virus-specific lymphocytes in CHB individuals are only partially triggered and Canagliflozin hemihydrate proliferate only at very low levels, suggesting that immunosuppressive mechanisms prevent T cells from maturing into antiviral effector cells [13]. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that can capture, process, and present antigens to naive T cells, therefore revitalizing their proliferation and activation [14, 15]. They provide the optimal co-stimulatory environment, with high levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II co-stimulatory molecules, adhesion molecules, and stimulatory cytokines to evoke an immunostimulatory transmission against the antigen [16]. DC-based immunotherapy has been tested in medical tests in melanoma, prostate malignancy, and hepatocellular carcinoma [17C20]. Currently, expansion. Materials and methods Study subjects This study was carried out on 268 individuals, including 168 CHB-treatment-naive individuals who have been HBeAg positive (TN group), 72 CHB-NA-treatment responders (including 57 individuals who received entecavir and 15 individuals who received telbivudine) with total suppression of HBV replication (HBV DNA < 20 IU/ml) for at least one year and HBeAg-negative status but sustained HBsAg-positive status (TR group), and 28 individuals with resolved HBV illness (including 18 who received pegylated IFN (Peg-IFN) therapy and 10 who spontaneously resolved an acute hepatitis B illness) and HBsAg DIF seroconversion within two months (RS group). Twenty healthy subjects (HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, anti-HBe and anti-HBc bad) served as Canagliflozin hemihydrate healthy settings (HC group). Another nine CHB individuals who have been on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment for two years (96 weeks) were also included. All subjects were enrolled in the Division of Infectious Diseases of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University or college from January 2013 Canagliflozin hemihydrate to July 2016. Individuals who have been coinfected with human being immunodeficiency disease, hepatitis C disease, or hepatitis D disease or had been treated with immunosuppressive medicines for other diseases were excluded..