Abnormality in the NK-cell population is prolonged in severe COVID-19 patients.
J Allergy Clin Immunol
; 148(4): 996-1006.e18, 2021 10.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1330917
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Our understanding of adaptive immune responses in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly evolving, but information on the innate immune responses by natural killer (NK) cells is still insufficient.OBJECTIVE:
We aimed to examine the phenotypic and functional status of NK cells and their changes during the course of mild and severe COVID-19.METHODS:
We performed RNA sequencing and flow cytometric analysis of NK cells from patients with mild and severe COVID-19 at multiple time points in the course of the disease using cryopreserved PBMCs.RESULTS:
In RNA-sequencing analysis, the NK cells exhibited distinctive features compared with healthy donors, with significant enrichment of proinflammatory cytokine-mediated signaling pathways. Intriguingly, we found that the unconventional CD56dimCD16neg NK-cell population expanded in cryopreserved PBMCs from patients with COVID-19 regardless of disease severity, accompanied by decreased NK-cell cytotoxicity. The NK-cell population was rapidly normalized alongside the disappearance of unconventional CD56dimCD16neg NK cells and the recovery of NK-cell cytotoxicity in patients with mild COVID-19, but this occurred slowly in patients with severe COVID-19.CONCLUSIONS:
The current longitudinal study provides a deep understanding of the NK-cell biology in COVID-19.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Killer Cells, Natural
/
Lymphocyte Activation
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
J Allergy Clin Immunol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS