Abstract
The global Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has affected more than eight million people. There is an urgent need to investigate how the adaptive immunity is established in COVID-19 patients. In this study, we profiled adaptive immune cells of PBMCs from recovered COVID-19 patients with varying disease severity using single-cell RNA and TCR/BCR V(D)J sequencing. The sequencing data revealed SARS-CoV-2-specific shuffling of adaptive immune repertories and COVID-19-induced remodeling of peripheral lymphocytes. Characterization of variations in the peripheral T and B cells from the COVID-19 patients revealed a positive correlation of humoral immune response and T-cell immune memory with disease severity. Sequencing and functional data revealed SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell immune memory in the convalescent COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, we also identified novel antigens that are responsive in the convalescent patients. Altogether, our study reveals adaptive immune repertories underlying pathogenesis and recovery in severe versus mild COVID-19 patients, providing valuable information for potential vaccine and therapeutic development against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Publication types
-
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
-
Antigens, Viral / genetics
-
Antigens, Viral / immunology
-
B-Lymphocytes / classification
-
B-Lymphocytes / immunology*
-
B-Lymphocytes / virology
-
Betacoronavirus / immunology
-
Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity*
-
COVID-19
-
Case-Control Studies
-
China
-
Convalescence
-
Coronavirus Infections / genetics
-
Coronavirus Infections / immunology*
-
Coronavirus Infections / pathology
-
Coronavirus Infections / virology
-
Disease Progression
-
Gene Expression
-
High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
-
Host-Pathogen Interactions / immunology
-
Humans
-
Immunity, Cellular*
-
Immunity, Humoral*
-
Immunologic Memory
-
Pandemics
-
Pneumonia, Viral / genetics
-
Pneumonia, Viral / immunology*
-
Pneumonia, Viral / pathology
-
Pneumonia, Viral / virology
-
Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / classification
-
Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / genetics
-
Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / immunology
-
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / classification
-
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / genetics
-
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / immunology
-
SARS-CoV-2
-
Severity of Illness Index
-
Single-Cell Analysis
-
T-Lymphocytes / classification
-
T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
-
T-Lymphocytes / virology
Substances
-
Antigens, Viral
-
Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell
-
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell