Open AccessThe phenotypic changes of γδ T cells in COVID‐19 patients
Author(s) -
Lei Lei,
Qian Hongbo,
Yang Xiaofang,
Zhang Xingzhe,
Zhang Dan,
Dai Tongxin,
Guo Rui,
Shi Lin,
Cheng Yanbin,
Zhang Baojun,
Zhou Xiaobo,
Hu Jinsong,
Guo Yaling
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of cellular and molecular medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.44
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1582-4934
pISSN - 1582-1838
DOI - 10.1111/jcmm.15620
Subject(s) - covid-19 , immunology , pneumonia , biomarker , population , effector , coronavirus , phenotype , t cell , cell , virology , biology , medicine , downregulation and upregulation , disease , immune system , gene , infectious disease (medical specialty) , genetics , environmental health
A novel pneumonia‐associated respiratory syndrome named coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19), which was caused by SARS‐CoV‐2broke out in Wuhan, China, in the end of 2019. Unfortunately, there is no specific antiviral agent or vaccine available to treat SARS‐CoV‐2 infections. The information regarding the immunological characteristics in COVID‐19 patients remains limited. Here, we collected the blood samples from 18 healthy donors (HD) and 38 COVID‐19 patients to analyze changes on γδ T cell population. In comparison with HD, the γδ T cell percentage decreased, while the activation marker CD25 expression increased in response to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Interestingly, the CD4 expression was upregulated in γδ T cells reflecting the occurrence of a specific effector cell population, which may serve as a biomarker for the assessment of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.