Distinctive Dynamics and Functions of the CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Regulatory T Cell Population in Patients with Severe and Mild COVID-19.
J Immunol
; 210(11): 1687-1699, 2023 06 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2300707
ABSTRACT
Although CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T (TREG) cells have been studied in patients with COVID-19, changes in the TREG cell population have not been longitudinally examined during the course of COVID-19. In this study, we longitudinally investigated the quantitative and qualitative changes in the TREG cell population in patients with COVID-19. We found that the frequencies of total TREG cells and CD45RA-FOXP3hi activated TREG cells were significantly increased 15-28 d postsymptom onset in severe patients, but not in mild patients. TREG cells from severe patients exhibited not only increased proliferation but also enhanced apoptosis, suggesting functional derangement of the TREG cell population during severe COVID-19. The suppressive functions of the TREG cell population did not differ between patients with severe versus mild COVID-19. The frequency of TREG cells inversely correlated with SARS-CoV-2-specific cytokine production by CD4+ T cells and their polyfunctionality in patients with mild disease, suggesting that TREG cells are major regulators of virus-specific CD4+ T cell responses during mild COVID-19. However, such correlations were not observed in patients with severe disease. Thus, in this study, we describe distinctive changes in the TREG cell population in patients with severe and mild COVID-19. Our study provides a deep understanding of host immune responses upon SARS-CoV-2 infection in regard to TREG cells.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
Topics:
Variants
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Immunol
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
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