SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell longevity correlates with Th17-like phenotype

• Published in: iScience Vol. 25; no. 9; p. 104959
• Main Authors: Terahara, Kazutaka, Sato, Takashi, Adachi, Yu, Tonouchi, Keisuke, Onodera, Taishi, Moriyama, Saya, Sun, Lin, Takano, Tomohiro, Nishiyama, Ayae, Kawana-Tachikawa, Ai, Matano, Tetsuro, Matsumura, Takayuki, Shinkai, Masaharu, Isogawa, Masanori, Takahashi, Yoshimasa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 16.09.2022; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological sciences; Health sciences; Immunology; Medicine; Virology; Medicine; Health sciences; Biological sciences; Immunology; Virology
• ISSN: 2589-0042; 2589-0042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104959

Determinants of memory T cell longevity following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remain unknown. In addition, phenotypes associated with memory T cell longevity, antibody titers, and disease severity are incompletely understood. Here, we longitudinally analyzed SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell and antibody responses of a unique cohort with similar numbers of mild, moderate, and severe coronavirus disease 2019 cases. The half-lives of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were longer than those of antibody titers and showed no clear correlation with disease severity. When CD4+ T cells were divided into Th1-, Th2-, Th17-, and Tfh-like subsets, the Th17-like subset showed a longer half-life than other subsets, indicating that Th17-like cells are most closely correlated with T cell longevity. In contrast, Th2- and Tfh-like T cells were more closely correlated with antibody titers than other subsets. These results suggest that distinct CD4+ T cell subsets are associated with longevity and antibody responses. [Display omitted] •Th17-like CD4+ T cells showed a longer half-life than other CD4+ T cell subsets•Anti-RBD-IgG titers were associated with Th2- and Tfh-like CD4 T cells•CD45RA+CD8+ T cells were correlated with disease severity during the early phase Health sciences; Medicine; Immunology; Virology; Biological sciences; Immunology; Virology.