BMC Immunol . Cycling and activated CD8 + T lymphocytes and their association with disease severity in influenza patients

[tetano]

BMC Immunol


. 2022 Sep 5;23(1):40.
doi: 10.1186/s12865-022-00516-1.
Cycling and activated CD8 ⁺ T lymphocytes and their association with disease severity in influenza patients


Shuai Liu ^{# 1 2} , Zhisheng Huang ^{# 3 4} , Ruyue Fan ⁵ , Ju Jia ^{3 4} , Xiaoyan Deng ⁶ , Xiaohui Zou ^{3 4} , Hui Li ^{3 4} , Bin Cao ^{7 8 9}



Affiliations

• PMID: 36064355
• DOI: 10.1186/s12865-022-00516-1

Abstract

Background: T cell lymphopenia was a significant characteristic of severe influenza infection and it was associated with the functional changes of T cells. It is necessary to clarify the T cells characteristics of kinetic changes and their correlation with disease severity.
Methods: In a cohort of hospitalized influenza patients with varying degrees of severity, we characterized lymphocyte populations using flow cytometry.
Results: The numbers of cycling (Ki67⁺) T cells at the acute phase of severe influenza were higher, especially in the memory (CD45RO⁺) T cell subsets. T cells from hospitalized influenza patients also had significantly higher levels of the exhausted marker PD-1. Cycling status of T cells was associated with T cell activation during the acute phase of influenza infection. The recruitment of cycling and activated (CD38⁺HLA-DR⁺) CD8⁺ T cells subset is delayed in severe influenza patients.
Conclusions: The increased numbers of cycling memory (Ki67⁺CD45RO⁺) T cells subsets and delayed kinetics of activated (CD38⁺HLA-DR⁺) CD8⁺ T cells, could serve as possible biological markers for disease severity.

Keywords: Cell cycle; Severe influenza infection; T cell function.