Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33097558›Full record

ArticleGut2020

TOX defines the degree of CD8+ T cell dysfunction in distinct phases of chronic HBV infection.

Kathrin Heim, Benedikt Binder, Sagar, Dominik Wieland, Nina Hensel, Sian Llewellyn-Lacey, Emma Gostick, David A Price, Florian Emmerich, Hildegard Vingerhoet and 8 more

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Gut, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
52citing papers in PubMed
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

52 citing papers in PubMed, 68 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. T cell adaptation in chronic infections and tumors.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2026
    Review
  5. Article
  6. TOX drives CD4Nature immunology · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Journal of inflammation research · 2026
    Review
  11. Review
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Immunometabolic Targets in CD8Liver cancer · 2025
    Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Transcriptional reprogramming primes CD8+ T cells toward exhaustion in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Harnessing CD8Clinical and translational medicine · 2024
    Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Kathrin HeimInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.
Benedikt BinderInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.
SagarInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.
Dominik WielandInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.
Nina HenselInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.
Sian Llewellyn-LaceyDivision of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK.
Emma GostickDivision of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK.
David A PriceDivision of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9416-2737
Florian EmmerichInstitute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy, Factulty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.
Hildegard VingerhoetInternal Medicine II, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.
Anke R M KraftDepartment of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Niedersachsen, Germany.
Markus CornbergGerman Centre for Infection Research Association, Braunschweig, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9141-8001
Tobias BoettlerInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.
Christoph Neumann-HaefelinInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.
Dietmar ZehnDivision of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Bertram BengschInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2552-740X
Maike HofmannInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany robert.thimme@uniklinik-freiburg.de Maike.Hofmann@uniklinik-freiburg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8410-8833
Robert ThimmeInternal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Hospital, Freiburg, Germany robert.thimme@uniklinik-freiburg.de Maike.Hofmann@uniklinik-freiburg.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1417-4135
University Medical Center Freiburg · DECardiff University · GBUniversity of Freiburg · DEMedizinische Hochschule Hannover · DETechnical University of Munich · DE

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveChronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterised by HBV-specific CD8+ T cell dysfunction that has been linked to Tcell exhaustion, a distinct differentiation programme associated with persisting antigen recognition. Recently, Thymocyte Selection-Associated High Mobility Group Box (TOX) was identified as master regulator of CD8+ T cell exhaustion. Here, we addressed the role of TOX in HBV-specific CD8+ T cell dysfunction associated with different clinical phases of infection.

designWe investigated TOX expression in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells from 53 HLA-A*01:01, HLA-A*11:01 and HLA-A*02:01 positive patients from different HBV infection phases and compared it to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific, cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific and influenza virus (FLU)-specific CD8+ T cells. Phenotypic and functional analyses of virus-specific CD8+ T cells were performed after peptide-loaded tetramer-enrichment and peptide-specific expansion.

resultsOur results show that TOX expression in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells is linked to chronic antigen stimulation, correlates with viral load and is associated with phenotypic and functional characteristics of T-cell exhaustion. In contrast, similar TOX expression in EBV-specific and CMV-specific CD8+ T cells is not linked to T-cell dysfunction suggesting different underlying programmes. TOX expression in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells is also affected by targeted antigens, for example, core versus polymerase. In HBV-specific CD8+ T cells, TOX expression is maintained after spontaneous or therapy-mediated viral control in chronic but not self-limiting acute HBV infection indicating a permanent molecular imprint after chronic but not temporary stimulation.

conclusionOur data highlight TOX as biomarker specific for dysfunctional virus-specific CD8+ T cells in the context of an actively persisting infection.

Indexed as

chronic viral hepatitishepatitis Bimmune responseT lymphocytes

Identifiers

PMID33097558
PMCPMC8292571
OpenAlexW3093964423

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.