Transcriptomic analysis of livers of Inactive Carrier HBV patients with differential HBsAg.

Inactive Carrier phases in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection present minimal liver disease and HBV replication activity suggesting a partial immune-reconstitution although the mechanisms responsible remain elusive. Moreover, HBsAg production -hypothesized to modulate the immune response- is unaltered. Here, we assessed the intrahepatic transcriptome in Inactive Carrier patients vs healthy liver donors, also in the context of diverse HBsAg levels (serum and liver), to better understand the phenomenon of immune control. We found a de-regulated liver transcriptome in Inactive Carrier patients vs healthy controls despite normal liver function. Moreover, diverse HBsAg levels impacted minimally at the liver transcriptome in Inactive Carrier patients although gene correlation analysis revealed leukocyte activation, recruitment and innate responses genes to correlate with liver HBsAg levels. These findings provide more insight into the mechanisms underlying anti-HBV strategies that are currently under development aimed at interfering with HBsAg production or at inducing a state of immune control.