Relationship of SARS-CoV-2–specific CD4 response to COVID-19 severity and impact of HIV-1 and tuberculosis coinfection
Date
2021-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
American Society for Clinical Investigation
Abstract
T cells are involved in control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but limited knowledge is available on the relationship
between antigen-specific T cell response and disease severity. Here, we used flow cytometry to assess the magnitude,
function, and phenotype of SARS coronavirus 2–specific (SARS-CoV-2–specific) CD4+ T cells in 95 hospitalized COVID-19
patients, 38 of them being HIV-1 and/or tuberculosis (TB) coinfected, and 38 non–COVID-19 patients. We showed that SARSCoV-
2–specific CD4+ T cell attributes, rather than magnitude, were associated with disease severity, with severe disease being
characterized by poor polyfunctional potential, reduced proliferation capacity, and enhanced HLA-DR expression. Moreover,
HIV-1 and TB coinfection skewed the SARS-CoV-2 T cell response. HIV-1–mediated CD4+ T cell depletion associated with
suboptimal T cell and humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, and a decrease in the polyfunctional capacity of SARSCoV-
2–specific CD4+ T cells was observed in COVID-19 patients with active TB. Our results also revealed that COVID-19 patients
displayed reduced frequency of Mycobacterium tuberculosis–specific CD4+ T cells, with possible implications for TB disease
progression. These results corroborate the important role of SARS-CoV-2–specific T cells in COVID-19 pathogenesis and
support the concept of altered T cell functions in patients with severe disease.
Description
CITATION: Riou, C. et al. 2021. Relationship of SARS-CoV-2–specific CD4 response to COVID-19 severity and impact of HIV-1 and tuberculosis coinfection. The Journal of Clinical Investigation 131(12):e149125. doi.10.1172/JCI149125.
The original publication is available at: jci.org
The original publication is available at: jci.org
Keywords
COVID-19 (Disease), Immune response -- Molecular aspects, Cellular immune response, T cells -- Receptors, Communicable diseases, UCTD
Citation
Riou, C. et al. 2021. Relationship of SARS-CoV-2–specific CD4 response to COVID-19 severity and impact of HIV-1 and tuberculosis coinfection. The Journal of Clinical Investigation 131(12):e149125. doi.10.1172/JCI149125.