Generation of Cytotoxic T Cells and Dysfunctional CD8 T Cells in Severe COVID-19 Patients

COVID-19, the infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, has spread on a pandemic scale. The viral infection can evolve asymptomatically or can generate severe symptoms, influenced by the presence of comorbidities. Lymphopenia based on the severity of symptoms in patients affected with COVID-19 is frequent. However, the profiles of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells regarding cytotoxicity and antiviral factor expression have not yet been completely elucidated in acute SARS-CoV-2 infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic and functional profile of T lymphocytes in patients with moderate and severe/critical COVID-19. During the pandemic period, we analyzed a cohort of 62 confirmed patients with SARS-CoV-2 (22 moderate cases and 40 severe/critical cases). Notwithstanding lymphopenia, we observed an increase in the expression of CD28, a co-stimulator molecule, and activation markers (CD38 and HLA-DR) in T lymphocytes as well as an increase in the frequency of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and NK cells that express the immunological checkpoint protein PD-1 in patients with a severe/critical condition compared to healthy controls. Regarding the cytotoxic profile of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, an increase in the response of CD4+ T cells was already observed at the baseline level and scarcely changed upon PMA and Ionomycin stimulation. Meanwhile, CD8+ T lymphocytes decreased the cytotoxic response, evidencing a profile of exhaustion in patients with severe COVID-19. As observed by t-SNE, there were CD4+ T-cytotoxic and CD8+ T with low granzyme production, evidencing their dysfunction in severe/critical conditions. In addition, purified CD8+ T lymphocytes from patients with severe COVID-19 showed increased constitutive expression of differentially expressed genes associated with the caspase pathway, inflammasome, and antiviral factors, and, curiously, had reduced expression of TNF-α. The cytotoxic profile of CD4+ T cells may compensate for the dysfunction/exhaustion of TCD8+ in acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. These findings may provide an understanding of the interplay of cytotoxicity between CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells in the severity of acute COVID-19 infection.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2022

Erschienen:

2022

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:11

Enthalten in:

Cells - 11(2022), 21 vom: 25. Okt.

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Gozzi-Silva, Sarah Cristina [VerfasserIn]
Oliveira, Luana de Mendonça [VerfasserIn]
Alberca, Ricardo Wesley [VerfasserIn]
Pereira, Natalli Zanete [VerfasserIn]
Yoshikawa, Fábio Seiti [VerfasserIn]
Pietrobon, Anna Julia [VerfasserIn]
Yendo, Tatiana Mina [VerfasserIn]
de Souza Andrade, Milena Mary [VerfasserIn]
Ramos, Yasmim Alefe Leuzzi [VerfasserIn]
Brito, Cyro Alves [VerfasserIn]
Oliveira, Emily Araujo [VerfasserIn]
Beserra, Danielle Rosa [VerfasserIn]
Orfali, Raquel Leão [VerfasserIn]
Aoki, Valéria [VerfasserIn]
Duarte, Alberto Jose da Silva [VerfasserIn]
Sato, Maria Notomi [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Antiviral Agents
Antiviral response
COVID-19
Cytotoxic factors
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
SARS-CoV-2
T-lymphocytes

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 14.11.2022

Date Revised 11.12.2022

published: Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.3390/cells11213359

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM348733402