The immune system of patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 is severely impaired. Detailed investigation of T cells and cytokine production in patients affected by COVID-19 pneumonia are urgently required. Here we show that, compared with healthy controls, COVID-19 patients’ T cell compartment displays several alterations involving naïve, central memory, effector memory and terminally differentiated cells, as well as regulatory T cells and PD1 + CD57 + exhausted T cells. Significant alterations exist also in several lineage-specifying transcription factors and chemokine receptors. Terminally differentiated T cells from patients proliferate less than those from healthy controls, whereas their mitochondria functionality is similar in CD4 + T cells from both groups. Patients display significant increases of proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokines, including T helper type-1 and type-2 cytokines, chemokines and galectins; their lymphocytes produce more tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interferon-γ, interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-17, with the last observation implying that blocking IL-17 could provide a novel therapeutic strategy for COVID-19. COVID-19 is a serious pandemic threat to public health, but insights on the pathophysiological and immunological conditions are only emerging. Here the authors use multi-color flow cytometry to characterize CD4 + and CD8 + T cells in peripheral blood from 39 COVID-19 patients in Italy to report altered T cell activation, function and polarization.
【저자키워드】 viral infection, Immunological memory, Lymphocyte differentiation, CD4-positive T cells, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, public health, SARS-CoV-2, Necrosis, pandemic, Cytokines, Pneumonia, T cells, immune system, Italy, CD4, CD8, flow cytometry, chemokine, Peripheral blood, lymphocyte, proinflammatory, T cell, Regulatory T cell, cells, Patient, therapeutic strategy, cytokine production, T cell activation, TNF, COVID-19 patient, IL-17, transcription factor, observation, interferon-γ, T helper, both groups, significant increase, alteration, naïve, healthy controls, CD57, chemokine receptors, effector memory, anti-inflammatory cytokines, immunological, affected, required, condition, less, Significant, central memory, pathophysiological, PD1, proliferate, terminally differentiated, 【제목키워드】 Pneumonia, T cell activation, patients with COVID-19,