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Zong L, Zheng Y, Yu X, Dai X, Huang R, Yan G, Xu Y, Zheng M. ICOS-ICOSL pathway enhances NKT-like cell antiviral function in pregnant women with COVID-19. Int J Med Sci 2024; 21:1890-1902. [PMID: 39113896 PMCID: PMC11302565 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.95952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective: The immune response initiated by SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy is poorly elucidated. We aimed to access and compare the antiviral cellular responses and lymphocytes activation between healthy pregnancies and pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods: We detected the immunological changes of lymphocytes in peripheral blood of healthy non-pregnant women, non-pregnant women with COVID-19, healthy pregnant women, pregnant women with COVID-19 and convalescent group by flow cytometry. In vitro blockade was used to identify NKT-like cell activation through ICOS-ICOSL pathway. Results: We found that CD3+CD56+ NKT-like cells decreased significantly in COVID-19 positive pregnant women compared to healthy pregnant women. NKT-like cells of pregnant women expressed higher level of activating receptors CD69 and NKp46 after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Particularly, they also increased the expression of the co-stimulatory molecule ICOS. NKT-like cells of pregnant women with COVID-19 up-regulated the expression of IFN-γ, CD107a and Ki67. Meanwhile, we found that ICOSL expression was significantly increased on pDCs in pregnant women with COVID-19. Blocking ICOS in vitro significantly decreased the antiviral activity of NKT-like cells in COVID-19 positive pregnant women, suggesting that ICOS-ICOSL may play an important role in the virus clearance by NKT-like cells. Conclusions: During SARS-CoV-2 infection, NKT-like cells of pregnant women activated through ICOS-ICOSL pathway and played an important role in the antiviral response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yuanling Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaojing Yu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaoran Dai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Ruoyu Huang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Guoxiu Yan
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Anhui Provincial Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Hefei, China
| | - Yuanhong Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Meijuan Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
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2
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Gigase FAJ, Graziani M, Castro J, Lesseur C, Rommel AS, Flores T, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Dolan S, Stone J, Janevic T, Lieb W, Bergink V, de Witte LD. The effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination on Th17 and regulatory T cells in a pregnancy cohort in NYC. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1350288. [PMID: 38504979 PMCID: PMC10948419 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1350288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Disturbances in T-cells, specifically the Th17/Treg balance, have been implicated in adverse pregnancy outcomes. We investigated these two T-cell populations following pre-pregnancy and pregnancy SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination in 351 participants from a pregnancy cohort in New York City (Generation C; 2020-2022). SARS-CoV-2 infection status was determined via laboratory or medical diagnosis and COVID-19 vaccination status via survey and electronic medical records data. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected at routine prenatal visits throughout gestation (median 108 days; IQR 67-191 days) with repeated measures for 104 participants (29.6%). T-cell populations CD4+/CD3+, Th17/CD4+, Treg/CD4+ and the Th17/Treg ratio were quantified using flow cytometry. Results showed that inter-individual differences are a main influencing factor in Th17 and Treg variance, however total variance explained remained small (R2 = 15-39%). Overall, Th17 and Treg populations were not significantly affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy in adjusted linear mixed models (p>0.05), however comparison of repeated measures among SARS-CoV-2 infected participants and non-infected controls suggests a relative increase of the Th17/Treg ratio following infection. In addition, the Th17/Treg ratio was significantly higher after SARS-CoV-2 infection prior to pregnancy (10-138 weeks) compared to controls (β=0.48, p=0.003). COVID-19 vaccination was not associated with Th17 and Treg cells. Our findings suggest an impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the Th17/Treg ratio, likely depending on severity of infection, yet the observed trends and their potential consequences for pregnancy outcomes require further investigation. Our study contributes to growing evidence that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy does not lead to an exacerbated immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederieke A. J. Gigase
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mara Graziani
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center (UMC), Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Juliana Castro
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Corina Lesseur
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Anna-Sophie Rommel
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Tammy Flores
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Siobhan Dolan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stamford Health, Stamford, CT, United States
| | - Joanne Stone
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Teresa Janevic
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Whitney Lieb
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Veerle Bergink
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lot D. de Witte
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center (UMC), Nijmegen, Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Radboud University Medical Center (UMC), Nijmegen, Netherlands
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3
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Chambers CD, Song J, da Silva Antunes R, Sette A, Franco A. T Cell Responses in Pregnant Women Who Received mRNA-Based Vaccination to Prevent COVID-19 Revealed Unknown Exposure to the Natural Infection and Numerous SARS-CoV-2-Specific CD4- CD8- Double Negative T Cells and Regulatory T Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2031. [PMID: 38396707 PMCID: PMC10889590 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
We studied T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in 19 pregnant subjects at different gestational weeks who received three doses of mRNA-based vaccination to prevent COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 peptide pools were used for T-cell recognition studies: peptides were 15 amino acids long and had previously been defined in COVID-19-convalescent subjects. T-cell activation was evaluated with the AIM assay. Most subjects showed coordinated, spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses and the development of T cell memory. Non-spike-specific T cells in subjects who were not aware of previous COVID-19 infection suggested a prior undetected, asymptomatic infection. CD4- CD8- double negative (DN) T cells were numerous, of which a percentage was specific for SARS-CoV-2 spike peptides. Regulatory T cells (Treg), both spike- and non-spike-specific, were also greatly expanded. Two Treg populations were defined: a population differentiated from naïve T cells, and pTreg, reverting from pro-inflammatory T cells. The Treg cells expressed CCR6, suggesting homing to the endometrium and vaginal epithelial cells. The pregnant women responded to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Asymptomatic COVID-19 was revealed by the T cell response to the non-spike peptides. The numerous DN T cells and Treg pointed our attention to new aspects of the adaptive immune response in vaccine recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina D. Chambers
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; (C.D.C.); (J.S.)
| | - Jaeyoon Song
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; (C.D.C.); (J.S.)
| | - Ricardo da Silva Antunes
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, CA 92037, USA (A.S.)
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Alessandro Sette
- Center for Vaccine Innovation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, CA 92037, USA (A.S.)
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Alessandra Franco
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; (C.D.C.); (J.S.)
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4
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Franco A, Song J, Chambers C, Sette A, Grifoni A. SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific regulatory T cells (Treg) expand and develop memory in vaccine recipients suggesting a role for immune regulation in preventing severe symptoms in COVID-19. Autoimmunity 2023; 56:2259133. [PMID: 37724524 DOI: 10.1080/08916934.2023.2259133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
We enrolled healthy subjects that received 2 to 4 injections of mRNA-based vaccination to prevent COVID-19 months to a year from the last vaccine boost, and we found numerous SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific regulatory T cell (Treg) that developed T cell memory as effector memory T cells (TEM) and central memory T cells (TCM). CD4+ CD25high Treg expressed the chemokine receptor CCR6 in a considerable percentage, suggesting T cell homing to the vascular endothelium, lung and gut epithelial cells and brain. Treg phenotype was different than peripherally-induced Treg (pTreg) that revert from pro-inflammatory T cells under repeated stimulatory conditions, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific Treg differentiated from naïve T cells in tissues where the SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins were synthetized. Twenty two of 22 subjects studied responded to vaccination developing a spike-specific CD4+ T helper (Th)1 response, and 20 of 22 developing a spike-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTL) response. However, in vaccine recipients the expansion of spike-specific pro-inflammatory T cells was less significant than the expansion of spike-specific Treg. Effector (TEM) and central memory (TCM) Treg were numerous as early as after two vaccine doses, with no significant differences following additional vaccine boosts. In co-culture experiments under stimulatory conditions, Treg regulated naïve T cell differentiation toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype and suppressed interferon (IFN)γ production by SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4 + Th1 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Franco
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Jaeyoon Song
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Christina Chambers
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alessandro Sette
- Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Alba Grifoni
- Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, USA
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5
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Zhang Z, Long J, Meng L, Yang Z, Zhang S, Zhang L. Immune cells-derived exosomes: A promising strategy for COVID-19 treatment. CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL DISCOVERY 2022; 2:e138. [PMID: 36712172 PMCID: PMC9874742 DOI: 10.1002/ctd2.138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zichen Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of PhysicsXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Jiangang Long
- School of Life Science and TechnologyXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Lingjie Meng
- School of ChemistryXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
- Instrumental Analysis CenterXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Zhiwei Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of PhysicsXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
- School of Life Science and TechnologyXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Shengli Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of PhysicsXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
| | - Lei Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of PhysicsXi'an Jiaotong UniversityXi'anChina
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6
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Ezechukwu HC, Shi J, Fowora MA, Diya CA, Elfaki F, Adegboye OA. Fetoplacental transmission and placental response to SARS-CoV-2: Evidence from the literature. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:962937. [PMID: 36052328 PMCID: PMC9426356 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.962937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a dreadful novel coronavirus with global health concerns among pregnant women. To date, the vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy remains controversial. We briefly report recent findings of placental response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and updates on vertical transmission. We systematically searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases according to PRISMA guidelines for studies reporting the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the placenta and possibility of vertical transmission. We identified 45 studies reporting 1,280 human placentas that were analyzed by molecular pathology methods and 11,112 placenta-derived cells from a publicly available database that was analyzed using bioinformatics tools. The main finding of this study is that the SARS-CoV-2 canonical entry receptors (ACE2 and TMPRSS2) are abundantly expressed on the placenta during the first trimester, and this expression diminishes across gestational age. Out of 45 eligible studies identified, 24 (53.34%) showed no evidence of vertical transmission, 15 (33.33%) supported the hypothesis of very rare, low possibility of vertical transmission and 6 (13.33%) were indecisive and had no comment on vertical transmission. Furthermore, 433 placentas from 12 studies were also identified for placental pathology investigation. There was evidence of at least one form of maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM), 57/433 (13.1%), fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM), 81/433 (18.7%) and placental inflammation with excessive infiltration of CD3+ CD8+ lymphocytes, CD68+ macrophages and CD20+ lymphocytes in most of the eligible studies. Decidual vasculopathy (3.2%), infarction (3.2%), chronic histiocytic intervillositis (6.0%), thrombi vasculopathy (5.1%) were also observed in most of the MVM and FVM reported cases. The results indicated that SARS-CoV-2 induces placenta inflammation, and placenta susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 decreases across the pregnancy window. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 infection in early pregnancy may adversely affect the developing fetus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry C. Ezechukwu
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, EKO University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Lagos, Nigeria
- School of Human Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Jiahua Shi
- School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Muinah A. Fowora
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, EKO University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Lagos, Nigeria
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Cornelius A. Diya
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, EKO University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Faiz Elfaki
- Department of Mathematics, Physics and Statistics, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
| | - Oyelola A. Adegboye
- Public Health and Tropical Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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7
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Tartaglia E, Bordoni V, Oliva A, Vergori A, Girardi E, Antinori A, Agrati C, Liuzzi G. T helper profile in pregnant women recovered from COVID-19. J Reprod Immunol 2022; 153:103661. [PMID: 35839525 PMCID: PMC9258427 DOI: 10.1016/j.jri.2022.103661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
T helper (Th) cell subsets play distinct and important roles during pregnancy. This work was focused on investigating the Th and cytokine profile in pregnant women recovered from COVID-19. To this aim, the frequency of Th1, Th2, Th17 subsets and the level of associated cytokines were analysed in pregnant women recovered from COVID-19 and in matched non-pregnant women. Principal component analysis highlighted a significant impact of pregnancy on Th profile with an increase of ex-Th17 subset and a parallel decrease of Th1 population. These modulations may participate in both preserving the pregnancy and reducing the risk of severe infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Veronica Bordoni
- INMI L. Spallanzani - IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Oliva
- INMI L. Spallanzani - IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.
| | | | - Enrico Girardi
- INMI L. Spallanzani - IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.
| | - Andrea Antinori
- INMI L. Spallanzani - IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.
| | - Chiara Agrati
- INMI L. Spallanzani - IRCCS, Via Portuense 292, 00149 Rome, Italy.
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8
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Sureshchandra S, Zulu MZ, Doratt BM, Jankeel A, Tifrea D, Edwards R, Rincon M, Marshall NE, Messaoudi I. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals immunological rewiring at the maternal-fetal interface following asymptomatic/mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110938. [PMID: 35662411 PMCID: PMC9130636 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
While severe coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with immune activation at the maternal-fetal interface, responses to asymptomatic/mild severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during pregnancy remain unknown. Here, we assess immunological adaptations in blood and term decidua in response to asymptomatic/mild disease in pregnant women. We report attenuated antigen presentation and type I interferon (IFN) signaling pathways, loss of tissue-resident decidual macrophages, and upregulated cytokine/chemokine signaling in monocyte-derived decidual macrophages. Furthermore, we describe increased frequencies of activated tissue-resident T cells and decreased abundance of regulatory T cells with infection while frequencies of cytotoxic CD4/CD8 T cells are increased in the blood. In contrast to decidual macrophages, type I IFN signaling is higher in decidual T cells. Finally, infection leads to a narrowing of T cell receptor diversity in both blood and decidua. Collectively, these observations indicate that asymptomatic/mild COVID-19 during pregnancy results in remodeling of the immunological landscape of the maternal-fetal interface, with a potential for long-term adverse outcomes for the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suhas Sureshchandra
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Michael Z Zulu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Brianna M Doratt
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Allen Jankeel
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Delia Tifrea
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Robert Edwards
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Monica Rincon
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Nicole E Marshall
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Oregon Health and Sciences University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Ilhem Messaoudi
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Institute for Immunology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
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9
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Cheng ML, Liu HY, Zhou C, Li RT, Zheng J, Qin YH, Yang N, Zhang Y, Huang JJ, Zhu Z, Meng QY, Wang GQ, Zhao H, Chen Y, Bai CQ, Qin CF, Li F. Longitudinal Dynamics of Cellular Responses in Recovered COVID-19 Patients. Front Immunol 2022; 13:911859. [PMID: 35663993 PMCID: PMC9161166 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.911859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics based on the understanding of antiviral immunity are urgently needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the understanding of these immune responses, especially cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, is limited. Here, we conducted a cohort study of COVID-19 patients who were followed and had blood collected to characterize the longitudinal dynamics of their cellular immune responses. Compared with healthy controls, the percentage of activation of SARS-CoV-2 S/N-specific T cells in recovered patients was significantly higher. And the activation percentage of S/N-specific CD8+ T cells in recovered patients was significantly higher than that of CD4+ T cells. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cell responses were strongly biased toward the expression of Th1 cytokines, included the cytokines IFNγ, TNFα and IL2. Moreover, the secreted IFNγ and IL2 level in severe patients was higher than that in mild patients. Additionally, the number of IFNγ-secreting S-specific T cells in recovered patients were higher than that of N-specific T cells. Overall, the SARS-CoV-2 S/N-specific T-cell responses in recovered patients were strong, and virus-specific immunity was present until 14-16 weeks after symptom onset. Our work provides a basis for understanding the immune responses and pathogenesis of COVID-19. It also has implications for vaccine development and optimization and speeding up the licensing of the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Li Cheng
- Department of Pathogenobiology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hui-Ying Liu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Zhou
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rui-Ting Li
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Zheng
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yan-Hong Qin
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Yang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Diseases, The Fifth Medical Center, Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Juan-Juan Huang
- Department of Pathogenobiology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Zhu Zhu
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qing-Yu Meng
- Department of Pathogenobiology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Guo-Qing Wang
- Department of Pathogenobiology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hui Zhao
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Chen
- Department of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chang-Qing Bai
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Cheng-Feng Qin
- Department of Virology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fan Li
- Department of Pathogenobiology, The Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Chinese Ministry of Education, College of Basic Medical Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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