Abstract
Objectives: The role of B cells in COVID-19, beyond the production of specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, is still not well understood. Here, we describe the novel landscape of circulating double-negative (DN) CD27 – IgD – B cells in COVID-19 patients, representing a group of atypical and neglected subpopulations of this cell lineage.
Methods: Using multiparametric flow cytometry, we determined DN B cell subset amounts from 91 COVID-19 patients, correlated those with cytokines, clinical and laboratory parameters, and segregated them by principal components analysis.
Results: We detected significant increments in the DN2 and DN3 B cell subsets, while we found a relevant decrease in the DN1 B cell subpopulation, according to disease severity and patient outcomes. These DN cell numbers also appeared to correlate with pro- or anti-inflammatory signatures, respectively, and contributed to the segregation of the patients into disease severity groups.
Conclusion: This study provides insights into DN B cell subsets’ potential role in immune responses against SARS-CoV-2, particularly linked to the severity of COVID-19.
Keywords: B cell; COVID-19; DN B cell; Inflammation.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Inflammation, B cell, DN B cell, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, immune response, Cytokines, Anti-inflammatory, disease severity, B cells, B cell, outcomes, severity of COVID-19, immune responses, Patient, Lineage, Laboratory parameters, COVID-19 patients, specific antibodies, B cell subsets, CD27, principal components, Atypical, IGD, clinical and laboratory parameters, circulating, principal components analysis, multiparametric flow cytometry, segregation, subpopulation, Cell, DN2, decrease, DN3, DN1, the patient, specific antibody, provide, correlated, representing, contributed, groups, subset, B cell subset, 【제목키워드】 SARS-COV-2 infection, IGD, subset,