Reduced expression of TRIF in chronic HBV infected Iranian patients

SummaryBackground and aimsTRIF is one of the main intracellular adaptor proteins required for TLR3 and 4 signaling. Abnormal gene expression of TRIF may lead to abrogated immune responses against viral infections including hepatitis B infection. The aim of this study was to identify the mRNA levels of TRIF in PBMCs isolated from chronic HBV (CHB) infected patients.Material and methodsmRNA was isolated from 63 CHB patients and 60 healthy controls and transcript levels of TRIF were examined in parallel with beta-actin (as housekeeping gene) using Real-Time PCR techniques.ResultsOur results demonstrated that expression of TRIF was significantly decreased in PBMCs isolated from CHB patients when compared to healthy controls.ConclusionsBased on the results reported here, it seems that CHB patients are unable to express appropriate levels of the TRIF gene, which may attenuate TLR3 and 4 signaling subsequent to HBV infection. Our results suggest a possible mechanism, which may explain why hepatitis B infection is stable in CHB patients.