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Effects of pegylated interferon on T cell receptor fingerprints in chronic hepatitis B patients with/without surface antigen clearance
Kun-Yan Hao, Yue-Cheng Yu, Center of Hepatology and Department of Infectious Disease, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China
Kun-Yan Hao, Zhan-Hui Wang, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China
Lei Tang, Wei Guo, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug ability of Biopharmaceuticals, State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, School of Life Science and Technology, China Pharma
Guo-Bing Chen, Key Laboratory of Viral Pathogenesis & Infection Prevention and Control (Jinan University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong Province, China
Guo-Bing Chen, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay Area Geroscience Joint Laboratory, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong Province, China
Guo-Bing Chen, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Geriatric Immu
Li-Peng Mao, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong Province, China
Co-first authors: Kun-Yan Hao and Lei Tang.
Co-corresponding authors: Li-Peng Mao and Yue-Cheng Yu.
Author contributions: Yu YC was the primary corresponding author responsible for all correspondence with the journal throughout manuscript submission, review and publication processes; Hao KY was responsible for study design, blood acquisition, data interpretation, data acquisition, statistical analysis and drafting the manuscript; Tang L was responsible for study design, data interpretation, statistical analysis and part of manuscript; Mao LP was responsible for RNA-sequencing, data interpretation, statistical analysis and part of manuscript; Yu YC was responsible for study concept, study design, overall supervision of the study and critical revision of the manuscript; Guo W and Chen GB were responsible for study design and data interpretation; Wang ZH was responsible for critical revision of the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version to be published. Hao KY and Tang L contributed equally to this work. Yu YC and Mao LP were co-corresponding authors with equal supervisory contribution. Mao LP was responsible for RNA-sequencing, data interpretation, statistical analysis and part of manuscript. Yu YC was responsible for study concept, study design, overall supervision of the study and critical revision of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: AI tools (specifically ChatGPT) were used solely for linguistic refinement and formatting assistance. No AI tool was involved in the generation of research data, interpretation of results, or formulation of conclusions. All AI-generated outputs were critically reviewed and revised by the authors.
Supported by Science Foundation of Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, No. 22JCYYYB11.
Institutional review board statement: The study complied with the rules of Good Clinical Practice and Declaration of Helsinki, and was approved by the hospital Ethics Committee of hospital, No. DZQH-KYLL-23-0201.
Informed consent statement: All study participants provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding authors on reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Yue-Cheng Yu, PhD, Center of Hepatology and Department of Infectious Disease, Jinling Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, No. 34 Yang-Gong-Jing, Qin-Huai Region, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China.
Received: May 8, 2026
Revised: June 18, 2026
Accepted: July 7, 2026
Published online: July 27, 2026
Processing time: 77 Days and 21.4 Hours
Revised: June 18, 2026
Accepted: July 7, 2026
Published online: July 27, 2026
Processing time: 77 Days and 21.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study compared T cell receptor (TCR) fingerprints of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with or without hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) clearance following treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues combined with pegylated interferon alpha-2b (PegIFNα-2b). No baseline virological/biochemical differences were found between the groups. Patients achieving HBsAg clearance exhibited markedly higher TCR α/β chain diversity, more unique clonotypes and greater repertoire overlap. These immune signatures may serve as potential reference indicators for PegIFNα-2b treatment response in CHB patients.