Deficiency of Tfh Cells and Germinal Center in Deceased COVID-19 Patients
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40(4):1-7,2020
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Deficiency of Tfh Cells and Germinal Center in Deceased COVID-19 Patients* Ya-qi DUAN1, 2†, Ming-hui XIA3†, Liang REN4†, Yan-fang ZHANG5†, Qi-lin AO1, 2, San-peng XU1, Dong KUANG1, Qian LIU4, Bing YAN5, Yi-wu ZHOU4, Qian CHU6, Liang LIU4#, Xiang-Ping YANG3#, Guo-ping WANG1, 2# 1 Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China 2 Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China 3 Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China 4 Department of Forensic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China 5 State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China 6 Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China Huazhong University of Science and Technology 2020
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV2 is characterized by a remarkable variation in clinical severity ranging from a mild illness to a fatal multi-organ disease. Understanding the dysregulated human immune responses in the fatal subjects is critical for management of COVID-19 patients and the pandemic. In this study, we examined the immune cell compositions in the lung tissues and hilar lymph nodes using immunohistochemistry on 6 deceased COVID-19 patients and 4 focal organizing pneumonia (FOP) patients who underwent lung surgery and served as controls. We found a dominant presence of macrophages and a general deficiency of T cells and B cells in the lung tissues from deceased COVID-19 patients. In contrast to the FOP patients, Tfh cells and germinal center formation were largely absent in the draining hilar lymph nodes in the deceased COVID-19 patients. This was correlated with reduced IgM and IgG levels compared to convalescent COVID-19 patients. In summary, our data highlight a defect of germinal center structure in deceased COVID-19 patients leading to an impaired humoral immunity. Understanding the mechanisms of this deficiency will be one of the key points for the management of this epidemic. Key words: COVID-19; immune responses; germinal center; T follicular helper cells
The COVID-19 worldwide pandemic has been characterized by a remarkable variation in clinical severity ranging from a mild coryzal illness to a fatal multi-organ disease[1, 2]. Despite the identification of Ya-qi DUAN, E-mail: [email protected]; Ming-hui XIA, E-mail: [email protected]; Liang REN, E-mail: [email protected]; Yan-fang ZHANG, E-mail: zhangyf@ wh.iov.cn † These authors contributed equally this work. # Corresponding authors, Liang LIU, E-mail: liuliang@mails. tjmu.edu.cn; Xiang-ping YANG, E-mail: [email protected]. cn; Guo-ping WANG, E-mail: [email protected]
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