Frontiers in Immunology (May 2022)

Skewed Cellular Distribution and Low Activation of Functional T-Cell Responses in SARS-CoV-2 Non-Seroconvertors

  • Athina Kilpeläinen,
  • Athina Kilpeläinen,
  • Esther Jimenez-Moyano,
  • Oscar Blanch-Lombarte,
  • Dan Ouchi,
  • Ruth Peña,
  • Bibiana Quirant-Sanchez,
  • Bibiana Quirant-Sanchez,
  • Bibiana Quirant-Sanchez,
  • Raul Perez-Caballero,
  • Anna Chamorro,
  • Ignacio Blanco,
  • Ignacio Blanco,
  • Eva Martínez-Caceres,
  • Eva Martínez-Caceres,
  • Eva Martínez-Caceres,
  • Roger Paredes,
  • Roger Paredes,
  • Roger Paredes,
  • Roger Paredes,
  • Lourdes Mateu,
  • Lourdes Mateu,
  • Jorge Carrillo,
  • Jorge Carrillo,
  • Jorge Carrillo,
  • Julià Blanco,
  • Julià Blanco,
  • Julià Blanco,
  • Julià Blanco,
  • Christian Brander,
  • Christian Brander,
  • Christian Brander,
  • Christian Brander,
  • Christian Brander,
  • Marta Massanella,
  • Marta Massanella,
  • Marta Massanella,
  • Bonaventura Clotet,
  • Bonaventura Clotet,
  • Bonaventura Clotet,
  • Bonaventura Clotet,
  • Julia G. Prado,
  • Julia G. Prado,
  • Julia G. Prado

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.815041
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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The role of T cells in the control of SARS-CoV-2 infection has been underestimated in favor of neutralizing antibodies. However, cellular immunity is essential for long-term viral control and protection from disease severity. To understand T-cell immunity in the absence of antibody generation we focused on a group of SARS-CoV-2 Non-Seroconvertors (NSC) recovered from infection. We performed an immune comparative analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals stratified by the absence or presence of seroconversion and disease severity. We report high levels of total naïve and low effector CD8+ T cells in NSC. Moreover, reduced levels of T-cell activation monitored by PD-1 and activation-induced markers were observed in the context of functional SARS-CoV-2 T-cell responses. Longitudinal data indicate the stability of the NSC phenotype over three months of follow-up after infection. Together, these data characterized distinctive immunological traits in NSC including skewed cellular distribution, low activation and functional SARS-CoV-2 T-cell responses. This data highlights the value of T-cell immune monitoring in populations with low seroconversion rates in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination.

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