Blockade of CCR4 breaks immune tolerance in chronic hepatitis B patients by modulating regulatory pathways

Abstract Background Immunotargets including checkpoint inhibitors and toll-like receptor 8 agonists have recently gained attention for the recovery of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific T cell exhaustion in chronic hepatitis B(CHB). Chemokine receptors have a similar significant role during viral infections; however, their role in CHB remains poorly understood. Therefore, in this study we evaluated the role of chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) in deriving immunosuppression during CHB. Methods We characterized CCR4+CD8+ T cells in CHB and identified their involvement in immunosuppression. Further, we examined if CCR4 blockade with mogamulizumab antibody can recover the functional exhaustion in HBsAg-specific T cells. Results CHB patients exhibit higher frequency of CCR4+CD8+ T cells that increase with higher HBsAg levels and fibrosis scores. In vitro, HBs antigen triggers CCR4 expression. These cells express multiple inhibitory receptors and exhibit immunosuppressive functions by producing excessive immunoregulatory cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-10 and TGF-β1. CCR4 Blockade significantly boosted HBsAg-specific antiviral-cytokine production(IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-21) in T cells through enhancing their proliferation capacity and polarizing these cells towards T helper 1(Th1) and T follicular helper cells(TFH) in case of CD4 cells, and cytotoxic T cell 1(TC1) and cytotoxic T follicular(TCF) cells in case of CD8. Cytotoxic potential was improved, while no induction of immunosuppressive-cytokines was seen after anti-CCR4 treatment thereby eliminating the risk of treatment-induced immunosuppression. CCR4 blockade inhibited the development and effector function of Tregs by controlling their expansion and TGF-β1 production preventing Tregs-induced immunotolearance. Conclusions CCR4 blockade reconstitutes antiviral immune response in T cells and limits the immunosuppressive functions of Tregs, representing them as a promising immunotherapeutic target for functional cure of CHB.