SARS-CoV-2 infection induces robust germinal center CD4 T follicular helper cell responses in rhesus macaques.
Sonny ElizaldiYashavanth Shaan LakshmanappaJamin RohBrian SchmidtTimothy CarrollKourtney WeaverJustin C SmithJesse DeereJoseph DutraMars StoneSergej FranzRebecca SammakKatherine OlstadJ Rachel ReaderZhong-Min MaNancy NguyenJennifer K WatanabeJodie UsachenkoRamya ImmareddyJoAnn YeeDaniela WeiskopfAlessandro SetteDennis Hartigan-O'ConnorStephen McSorleyJohn MorrisonNam TranGraham SimmonsMichael BuschPamela KozlowskKoen K A Van RompayChristopher MillerSmita IyerPublished in: Research square (2020)
CD4 T follicular helper (T fh ) cells are important for the generation of durable and specific humoral protection against viral infections. The degree to which SARS-CoV-2 infection generates T fh cells and stimulates the germinal center response is an important question as we investigate vaccine options for the current pandemic. Here we report that SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in transient accumulation of pro-inflammatory monocytes and proliferating T fh cells with a T h 1 profile in peripheral blood. CD4 helper cell responses were skewed predominantly toward a T h 1 response in blood, lung, and lymph nodes. We observed the generation of germinal center T fh cells specific for the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, and a corresponding early appearance of antiviral serum IgG antibodies. Our data suggest that a vaccine promoting T h 1-type T fh responses that target the S protein may lead to protective immunity.
Keyphrases
- induced apoptosis
- sars cov
- cell cycle arrest
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- peripheral blood
- lymph node
- dendritic cells
- regulatory t cells
- immune response
- oxidative stress
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- single cell
- stem cells
- cell therapy
- small molecule
- cell proliferation
- machine learning
- brain injury
- big data
- nk cells
- pi k akt
- electronic health record
- cerebral ischemia
- data analysis