{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T16:52:04Z","timestamp":1791910324211,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"16","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,11]],"date-time":"2025-08-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754870400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100006769","name":"Russian Science Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["25-25-00235"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["25-25-00235"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100006769","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Hepatic viruses, such as hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV), evade immune defenses and drive liver cirrhosis and cancer. They remain a major global health burden, requiring deeper research into immune responses; specifically, adaptive immunity. This study aims to analyze T cellular subsets in chronic HBV and HCV infection and investigate their potential role in the immunopathogenesis of these conditions. Methods: For our study, we collected 123 blood samples taken from patients infected with HCV (n = 36) and HBV (n = 34) and healthy volunteers (n = 53). With the use of flow cytometry, we assessed levels of CD4+ and CD8+ minor T cell subpopulations (na\u00efve, central, and effector memory cells (CM and EM), terminally differentiated EM (TEMRA), Th1, Th2, Th17, Tfh, Tc1, Tc2, Tc17, Tc17.1). Results: Despite similar total CD4+ T cell frequencies across chronic HCV, HBV, and healthy groups, patients with hepatitis showed elevated TEMRA, EM, and CM subsets alongside depleted na\u00efve Th cells and specific CM subpopulations compared to controls. Patients with chronic HCV and HBV showed elevated CD8+ T cell frequencies versus controls, with disease-specific shifts: reduced EM CTLs but increased TEMRA CTLs, Tc1\/Tc17.1 depletion (notably Tc17.1 in HCV), and higher Tc2 levels. Conclusions: Viral clearance in HBV and HCV requires a delicate balance between immunity and viral activity. Despite similar T cell frequencies (CD3+\/CD4+\/CD8+), minor subsets revealed distinct patterns differentiating HCV, HBV, and healthy controls.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms26167761","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,11]],"date-time":"2025-08-11T14:32:36Z","timestamp":1754922756000},"page":"7761","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Disease-Associated Shifts in Minor T Cell Subpopulations Define Distinct Immunopathology in HBV vs. HCV Infection"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0535-5014","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zoia R.","family":"Korobova","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Mira St. 14, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia"},{"name":"Department of Immunology, Pavlov First State Medical University of St. Petersburg, L\u2019va Tolstogo St. 6-8, 197022 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Natalia A.","family":"Arsentieva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Mira St. 14, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia"},{"name":"Department of Immunology, Pavlov First State Medical University of St. Petersburg, L\u2019va Tolstogo St. 6-8, 197022 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anastasia A.","family":"Butenko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Mira St. 14, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Oleg K.","family":"Batsunov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Mira St. 14, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia"},{"name":"Department of Immunology, Pavlov First State Medical University of St. Petersburg, L\u2019va Tolstogo St. 6-8, 197022 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Natalia E.","family":"Lyubimova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Mira St. 14, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2270-8897","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yulia V.","family":"Ostankova","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Mira St. 14, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ekaterina V.","family":"Anufrieva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Mira St. 14, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sergey A.","family":"Maslov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Military Medical Academy Named After S.M. Kirov, Department of Infectious Diseases, Academika Lebedeva St., 6Zh, 194044 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4398-7525","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Konstantin V.","family":"Kozlov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Military Medical Academy Named After S.M. Kirov, Department of Infectious Diseases, Academika Lebedeva St., 6Zh, 194044 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3735-5783","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dmitrii L.","family":"Sulima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Medical Clinic Exclusive, Korablestroiteley St. 33, Building 2, 199058 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Oksana Yu.","family":"Rishnyak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vsevolozhsk Clinical Hospital, Koltushskoe Shosse, 20, 188643 Vsevolozhsk, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4571-8799","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Areg A.","family":"Totolian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Mira St. 14, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia"},{"name":"Department of Immunology, Pavlov First State Medical University of St. Petersburg, L\u2019va Tolstogo St. 6-8, 197022 St. Petersburg, Russia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (WHO) (2025, July 02). 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