UT Health San Antonio researchers compared lead to extreme and less-severe COVID-19 cases one and 5 months after sign beginning.
Infection-fighting B cells retain better memory of the coronavirus spike protein in University Hospital patients who recuperate from less-severe cases of COVID-19 than in those recovering from extreme COVID-19, a new research study suggests. Findings by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio were released on December 22, 2021, in the journal PLOS ONE.
Evelien Bunnik, PhD, matching author of the paper, said the outcomes hint of subtle distinctions in the quality of immune response based upon COVID-19 seriousness. Dr. Bunnik is an assistant teacher of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genes at the health science center, likewise described as UT Health San Antonio.
The study focused on memory B cells that respond against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Blood samples were examined one month after sign start and five months post-onset. After one month, a significant percentage of spike-specific B cells were active.
However, samples from eight individuals who recovered from less-severe disease showed increased expression of markers connected with long lasting B cell memory as compared to people who recuperated from severe disease, the authors composed. The markers consist of T-bet and FcRL5.
T-bet-positive, spike-specific B cells almost disappeared from the blood samples 5 months post-symptom start, the authors noted. In general, a more dysfunctional B cell response is seen in serious illness cases, they wrote.
Non-severe cases were defined as not needing supplemental oxygen or intrusive ventilation, while extreme cases required intrusive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). “The definition of extreme illness was made based upon the need for mechanical ventilation or ECMO, because this identifies the most important clients, who are the most likely to establish impaired immune reactions,” said study senior author Thomas Patterson, MD, professor and chief of infectious diseases at UT Health San Antonio who leads COVID-19 care at clinical partner University Health.
Study participants were registered in the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT) -1 or ACTT-2 clinical trials. Samples were from University Health patients co-enrolled in the UT Health San Antonio COVID-19 Repository.
” The increased portion of B cells associated with long-lived immunity in non-severe COVID-19 clients might have effects for long-term immunity against SARS-CoV-2 re-infection or severity of the resulting disease,” the authors composed.
Reference: “SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific memory B cells reveal higher levels of T-bet and FcRL5 after non-severe COVID-19 as compared to severe disease” by Raphael A. Reyes, Kathleen Clarke, S. Jake Gonzales, Angelene M. Cantwell, Rolando Garza, Gabriel Catano, Robin E. Tragus, Thomas F. Patterson, Sebastiaan Bol and Evelien M. Bunnik, 22 December 2021, PLOS One.DOI: 10.1371/ journal.pone.0261656.
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This work was supported by a COVID-19 pilot award from the UT Health San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine (10009547 to Dr. Evelien Bunnik). Raphael A. Reyes was supported by Translational Science Training award TL1 TR002647. Information were created in the Flow Cytometry Shared Resource Facility, which is supported by UT Health San Antonio, NIH-NCI P30 CA054174-20 (Mays Cancer Center, home to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson) and UL1 TR001120 (Clinical Translational Science Award grant). The funders had no role in research study design, data collection and analysis, decision to release, or preparation of the manuscript.
The study focused on memory B cells that react against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. After one month, a significant percentage of spike-specific B cells were active.
This work was supported by a COVID-19 pilot award from the UT Health San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine (10009547 to Dr. Evelien Bunnik). Data were produced in the Flow Cytometry Shared Resource Facility, which is supported by UT Health San Antonio, NIH-NCI P30 CA054174-20 (Mays Cancer Center, house to UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson) and UL1 TR001120 (Clinical Translational Science Award grant).