B lymphocyte-mediated humoral immunity in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B infection

Abstract During hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the host immune response, including the presence of functional HBV-specific T cells and HBV-specific antibody-producing B cells, ultimately determines the HBV infection outcome: either the virus is cleared, or infection persists. Functional exhaustion of HBV-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T cells is the most important immune feature in chronic HBV infection. However, chronic HBV infection also re-writes humoral immunity, whereby B cells are the leading participants. In this review, we highlight HBV-specific B cell responses and propose future directions for research aimed at the generation of more efficient immunotherapeutic strategies.