LAUSR

The presence of shared T‐cell clonotypes was found in several different diseases, but its relationship with the progression of disease remains unclear. By sequencing the complementary determining region 3 of T‐cell receptor (TCR) β chains from the purified antigen‐experienced CD8+ T cells, we characterized the T‐cell repertoire in a prospective cohort study among 75 patients with chronic hepatitis B in China, as well as a healthy control and a validation cohort. We found that most T‐cell clones from patients harbored the “patient‐specific” TCR sequences. However, “patient‐shared” TCR clonotypes were also widely found, which correlated with the favorable turnover of disease. Interestingly, the frequency of the “patient‐shared” clonotypes can serve as a biomarker for favorable prognosis. Based on the clonotypes in those patients with favorable outcomes, we created a database including several clusters of protective anti‐HBV CD8+ T‐cell clonotypes that might be a reasonable target for therapeutic vaccine development or adoptive cell transfer therapy. These findings were validated in an additional independent cohort of patients. These results suggest that the “patient‐shared” TCR clonotypes may serve as a valuable prognostic tool in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and possibly other chronic viral diseases.