SARS-CoV-2-Specific T Cells Exhibit Phenotypic Features of Helper Function, Lack of Terminal Differentiation, and High Proliferation Potential

Jason Neidleman; Xiaoyu Luo; Julie Frouard; Guorui Xie; Gurjot Gill; Ellen S. Stein; Matthew McGregor; Tongcui Ma; Ashley F. George; Astrid Kosters; Warner C. Greene; Joshua Vasquez; Eliver Ghosn; Sulggi Lee; Nadia R. Roan

Cell Reports Medicine (Sep 2020)

SARS-CoV-2-Specific T Cells Exhibit Phenotypic Features of Helper Function, Lack of Terminal Differentiation, and High Proliferation Potential

Jason Neidleman,
Xiaoyu Luo,
Julie Frouard,
Guorui Xie,
Gurjot Gill,
Ellen S. Stein,
Matthew McGregor,
Tongcui Ma,
Ashley F. George,
Astrid Kosters,
Warner C. Greene,
Joshua Vasquez,
Eliver Ghosn,
Sulggi Lee,
Nadia R. Roan

Affiliations

Jason Neidleman: Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Xiaoyu Luo: Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA
Julie Frouard: Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Guorui Xie: Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Gurjot Gill: HIV/AIDS, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
Ellen S. Stein: HIV/AIDS, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
Matthew McGregor: Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Tongcui Ma: Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Ashley F. George: Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Astrid Kosters: Department of Medicine, Lowance Center for Human Immunology, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Warner C. Greene: Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Joshua Vasquez: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Eliver Ghosn: Department of Medicine, Lowance Center for Human Immunology, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Lowance Center for Human Immunology, Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Sulggi Lee: Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA; University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Corresponding author
Nadia R. Roan: Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 1, no. 6
p. 100081

Abstract

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Summary: Convalescing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients mount robust T cell responses against SARS-CoV-2, suggesting an important role of T cells in viral clearance. To date, the phenotypes of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells remain poorly defined. Using 38-parameter CyTOF, we phenotyped longitudinal specimens of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from nine individuals who recovered from mild COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cells were exclusively Th1 cells and predominantly Tcm cells with phenotypic features of robust helper function. SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells were predominantly Temra cells in a state of less terminal differentiation than most Temra cells. Subsets of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells express CD127, can proliferate homeostatically, and can persist for over 2 months. Our results suggest that long-lived and robust T cell immunity is generated following natural SARS-CoV-2 infection and support an important role of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells in host control of COVID-19.

Published in Cell Reports Medicine

ISSN: 2666-3791 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General)
Website: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-medicine

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