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Schreibing F, Hannani MT, Kim H, Nagai JS, Ticconi F, Fewings E, Bleckwehl T, Begemann M, Torow N, Kuppe C, Kurth I, Kranz J, Frank D, Anslinger TM, Ziegler P, Kraus T, Enczmann J, Balz V, Windhofer F, Balfanz P, Kurts C, Marx G, Marx N, Dreher M, Schneider RK, Saez-Rodriguez J, Costa I, Hayat S, Kramann R. Dissecting CD8+ T cell pathology of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection by single-cell immunoprofiling. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1066176. [PMID: 36591270 PMCID: PMC9800604 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1066176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction SARS-CoV-2 infection results in varying disease severity, ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe illness. A detailed understanding of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is critical to unravel the causative factors underlying differences in disease severity and to develop optimal vaccines against new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods We combined single-cell RNA and T cell receptor sequencing with CITE-seq antibodies to characterize the CD8+ T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection at high resolution and compared responses between mild and severe COVID-19. Results We observed increased CD8+ T cell exhaustion in severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and identified a population of NK-like, terminally differentiated CD8+ effector T cells characterized by expression of FCGR3A (encoding CD16). Further characterization of NK-like CD8+ T cells revealed heterogeneity among CD16+ NK-like CD8+ T cells and profound differences in cytotoxicity, exhaustion, and NK-like differentiation between mild and severe disease conditions. Discussion We propose a model in which differences in the surrounding inflammatory milieu lead to crucial differences in NK-like differentiation of CD8+ effector T cells, ultimately resulting in the appearance of NK-like CD8+ T cell populations of different functionality and pathogenicity. Our in-depth characterization of the CD8+ T cell-mediated response to SARS-CoV-2 infection provides a basis for further investigation of the importance of NK-like CD8+ T cells in COVID-19 severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Schreibing
- Institute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Department of Renal and Hypertensive Disorders, Rheumatological and Immunological Diseases (Medical Clinic II), Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Monica T. Hannani
- Institute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Heidelberg University, Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hyojin Kim
- Institute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - James S. Nagai
- Institute for Computational Genomics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Fabio Ticconi
- Institute for Computational Genomics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Eleanor Fewings
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Heidelberg University, Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tore Bleckwehl
- Institute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Matthias Begemann
- Institute of Human Genetics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Natalia Torow
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christoph Kuppe
- Institute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Department of Renal and Hypertensive Disorders, Rheumatological and Immunological Diseases (Medical Clinic II), Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Ingo Kurth
- Institute of Human Genetics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jennifer Kranz
- Institute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Department of Urology and Kidney Transplantation, Martin Luther University (Saale), Halle, Germany
| | - Dario Frank
- Department of Medicine, St Antonius Hospital, Eschweiler, Germany
| | - Teresa M. Anslinger
- Institute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Department of Renal and Hypertensive Disorders, Rheumatological and Immunological Diseases (Medical Clinic II), Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Patrick Ziegler
- Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Thomas Kraus
- Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Enczmann
- Institute for Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Vera Balz
- Institute for Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Frank Windhofer
- Institute for Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Paul Balfanz
- Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Kurts
- Institute of Molecular Medicine and Experimental Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gernot Marx
- Department of Intensive and Intermediate Care, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Marx
- Department of Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Michael Dreher
- Department of Pneumology and Intensive Care Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Rebekka K. Schneider
- Institute of Cell and Tumor Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Department of Developmental Biology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Julio Saez-Rodriguez
- Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Heidelberg University, Faculty of Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany,Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Ivan Costa
- Institute for Computational Genomics, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sikander Hayat
- Institute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Rafael Kramann
- Institute of Experimental Medicine and Systems Biology, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Department of Renal and Hypertensive Disorders, Rheumatological and Immunological Diseases (Medical Clinic II), Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany,Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center (MC), Rotterdam, Netherlands,*Correspondence: Rafael Kramann,
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Koh JY, Rha MS, Choi SJ, Lee HS, Han JW, Nam H, Kim DU, Lee JG, Kim MS, Park JY, Park SH, Joo DJ, Shin EC. Identification of a distinct NK-like hepatic T-cell population activated by NKG2C in a TCR-independent manner. J Hepatol 2022; 77:1059-1070. [PMID: 35644434 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The liver provides a unique niche of lymphocytes enriched with a large proportion of innate-like T cells. However, the heterogeneity and functional characteristics of the hepatic T-cell population remain to be fully elucidated. METHODS We obtained liver sinusoidal mononuclear cells from the liver perfusate of healthy donors and recipients with HBV-associated chronic liver disease (CLD) during liver transplantation. We performed a CITE-seq analysis of liver sinusoidal CD45+ cells in combination with T cell receptor (TCR)-seq and flow cytometry to examine the phenotypes and functions of liver sinusoidal CD8+ T cells. RESULTS We identified a distinct CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T-cell population characterized by natural killer (NK)-related gene expression and a uniquely restricted TCR repertoire. The frequency of these cells among the liver sinusoidal CD8+ T-cell population was significantly increased in patients with HBV-associated CLD. Although CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T cells exhibit weak responsiveness to TCR stimulation, CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T cells highly expressed various NK receptors, including CD94, killer immunoglobulin-like receptors, and NKG2C, and exerted NKG2C-mediated NK-like effector functions even in the absence of TCR stimulation. In addition, CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T cells highly respond to innate cytokines, such as IL-12/18 and IL-15, in the absence of TCR stimulation. We validated the results from liver sinusoidal CD8+ T cells using intrahepatic CD8+ T cells obtained from liver tissues. CONCLUSIONS In summary, the current study found a distinct CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T-cell population characterized by NK-like activation via TCR-independent NKG2C ligation. Further studies are required to elucidate the roles of liver sinusoidal CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T cells in immune responses to microbial pathogens or liver immunopathology. LAY SUMMARY The role of different immune cell populations in the liver is becoming an area of increasing interest. Herein, we identified a distinct T-cell population that had features similar to those of natural killer (NK) cells - a type of innate immune cell. This distinct population was expanded in the livers of patients with chronic liver disease and could thus have pathogenic relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- June-Young Koh
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Seok Rha
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Jin Choi
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea
| | - Ha Seok Lee
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Won Han
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Heejin Nam
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Uk Kim
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Geun Lee
- Department of Surgery, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Myoung Soo Kim
- Department of Surgery, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun Yong Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
| | - Su-Hyung Park
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea.
| | - Dong Jin Joo
- Department of Surgery, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
| | - Eui-Cheol Shin
- Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; The Center for Viral Immunology, Korea Virus Research Institute, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34126, Republic of Korea.
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