Regulatory T and CXCR3+ Circulating Tfh Cells Concordantly Shape the Neutralizing Antibody Responses in Individuals Who Have Recovered from Mild COVID-19.
J Infect Dis
; 230(1): 28-37, 2024 Jul 25.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39052730
ABSTRACT
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are involved in the antiviral immune response in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, whether Treg cells are involved in the neutralizing antibody (nAb) response remains unclear. Here, we found that individuals who recovered from mild but not severe COVID-19 had significantly greater frequencies of Treg cells and lower frequencies of CXCR3+ circulating T follicular helper (cTfh) cells than healthy controls. Furthermore, the frequencies of Treg and CXCR3+ cTfh cells were negatively and positively correlated with the nAb responses, respectively, and Treg cells was inversely associated with CXCR3+ cTfh cells in individuals who recovered from mild COVID-19 but not in those with severe disease. Mechanistically, Treg cells inhibited memory B-cell differentiation and antibody production by limiting the activation and proliferation of cTfh cells, especially CXCR3+ cTfh cells, and functional molecule expression. This study provides novel insight showing that mild COVID-19 elicits concerted nAb responses, which are shaped by both Treg and Tfh cells.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory
/
Receptors, CXCR3
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Antibodies, Neutralizing
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T Follicular Helper Cells
/
COVID-19
/
Antibodies, Viral
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
J Infect Dis
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
China