Down-regulation of ZIP2 and ZIP8 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from hepatitis B patients and hepatitis C patients

作者：Zhu, Kai; Wang, Lina; Shi, Lina; Hu, Xiaoyan; Li, Changcai; Zhang, Lianying^*

来源：International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 2016, 9(3): 6078-6085.

• ZIP2
• ZIP8
• hepatitis B virus
• hepatitis C virus

ZIP2 and ZIP8 belong to the ZIP family of metal-ion transporters. It can transport zinc. ZIP8 is closely related with inflammation and immunity. ZIP8 caused T cells to exhibit enhanced activation. Our lab found that ZIP2 was over-expressed in leukocytes of asthmatic infants and pulmonary tuberculosis patients with lower serum zinc level. The persistence of virus that resulted from the low antiviral immune response had been thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-induced diseases. So we wondered whether ZIP2 and ZIP8 were changed in the patients with chronic hepatitis B patients (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C patients (CHC). We examined the mRNA and protein expression levels of ZIP2 and ZIP8 zinc transporters in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with CHB (n=40), CHC (n=23) and healthy controls (n=39). Both ZIP2 and ZIP8 mRNA levels as well as protein expression levels were significantly decreased in CHB and CHC patients compared with healthy controls. While ZIP2 and ZIP8 mRNA levels had no significant difference among CHB patients with different HBV-DNA copy numbers. ZIP2 and ZIP8 mRNA levels had no significant difference among CHC patients with different HCV-RNA copy numbers. The results indicated that decreased expression of ZIP2 and ZIP8 genes are closely associated with immunity of CHB and CHC patients and suggest a role for ZIP2 and ZIP8 genes in the initial control infection and mediate the resistance and immunity of CHB and CHC patients through the promotion and maintenance immune response of adaptive T cell.

• 出版日期2016
• 单位山东大学