High and Sustained Ex Vivo Frequency but Altered Phenotype of SARS-CoV-2-Specific CD4⁺ T-Cells in an Anti-CD20-Treated Patient with Prolonged COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: Here, we longitudinally assessed the ex vivo frequency and phenotype of SARS-CoV-2 membrane protein (aa145-164) epitope-specific CD4⁺ T-cells of an anti-CD20-treated patient with prolonged viral positivity in direct comparison to an immunocompetent patient through an MHC class II DRB1*11:01 Tetramer analysis. We detected a high and stable SARS-CoV-2 membrane-specific CD4⁺ T-cell response in both patients, with higher frequencies of virus-specific CD4⁺ T-cells in the B-cell-depleted patient. However, we found an altered virus-specific CD4⁺ T-cell memory phenotype in the B-cell-depleted patient that was skewed towards late differentiated memory T-cells, as well as reduced frequencies of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4⁺ T-cells with CD45RA^-<

SUBMITTER: Cords L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9228841 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature