Advanced age is associated with severe symptoms and death upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. Virus-specific CD8+ T-cell responses have shown to be protective toward critical COVID-19 manifestations, suggesting that suboptimal cellular immunity may contribute to the age-pattern of the disease. The induction of a CD8+ T-cell response against an emerging pathogen like SARS-CoV-2 relies on the activation of naive T cells. To investigate whether the primary CD8+ T-cell response against this virus is defective in advanced age, we used an in vitro approach to prime SARS-CoV-2-specific naive CD8+ T cells from healthy, unexposed donors of different age groups. Compared to younger adults, older individuals display a poor SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell priming capacity in terms of both magnitude and quality of the response. In addition, older subjects recognize a lower number of epitopes. Our results implicate that immune aging is associated with altered primary SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T-cell responses.

Impaired Priming of SARS-CoV-2-Specific Naive CD8+ T Cells in Older Subjects

Eleonora Gallerani
Primo
;
Davide Proietto
Secondo
;
Beatrice Dallan;Marco Campagnaro;Salvatore Pacifico;Valentina Albanese;Erika Marzola;Peggy Marconi;Antonella Caputo;Riccardo Gavioli
Penultimo
;
Francesco Nicoli
Ultimo
2021

Abstract

Advanced age is associated with severe symptoms and death upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. Virus-specific CD8+ T-cell responses have shown to be protective toward critical COVID-19 manifestations, suggesting that suboptimal cellular immunity may contribute to the age-pattern of the disease. The induction of a CD8+ T-cell response against an emerging pathogen like SARS-CoV-2 relies on the activation of naive T cells. To investigate whether the primary CD8+ T-cell response against this virus is defective in advanced age, we used an in vitro approach to prime SARS-CoV-2-specific naive CD8+ T cells from healthy, unexposed donors of different age groups. Compared to younger adults, older individuals display a poor SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell priming capacity in terms of both magnitude and quality of the response. In addition, older subjects recognize a lower number of epitopes. Our results implicate that immune aging is associated with altered primary SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T-cell responses.
2021
Gallerani, Eleonora; Proietto, Davide; Dallan, Beatrice; Campagnaro, Marco; Pacifico, Salvatore; Albanese, Valentina; Marzola, Erika; Marconi, Peggy Carla Raffaella; Caputo, Antonella; Appay, Victor; Gavioli, Riccardo; Nicoli, Francesco
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
fimmu-12-693054.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: versione editoriale
Tipologia: Full text (versione editoriale)
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 1.56 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.56 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11392/2479015
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 14
  • Scopus 14
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 14
social impact