{"title":"ICOS-ICOSL pathway enhances NKT-like cell antiviral function in pregnant women with COVID-19.","authors":"Lu Zong, Yuanling Zheng, Xiaojing Yu, Xiaoran Dai, Ruoyu Huang, Guoxiu Yan, Yuanhong Xu, Meijuan Zheng","doi":"10.7150/ijms.95952","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Objective:</b> The immune response initiated by SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy is poorly elucidated. We aimed to access and compare the antiviral cellular responses and lymphocytes activation between healthy pregnancies and pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2. <b>Methods:</b> We detected the immunological changes of lymphocytes in peripheral blood of healthy non-pregnant women, non-pregnant women with COVID-19, healthy pregnant women, pregnant women with COVID-19 and convalescent group by flow cytometry. <i>In vitro</i> blockade was used to identify NKT-like cell activation through ICOS-ICOSL pathway. <b>Results:</b> We found that CD3<sup>+</sup>CD56<sup>+</sup> NKT-like cells decreased significantly in COVID-19 positive pregnant women compared to healthy pregnant women. NKT-like cells of pregnant women expressed higher level of activating receptors CD69 and NKp46 after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Particularly, they also increased the expression of the co-stimulatory molecule ICOS. NKT-like cells of pregnant women with COVID-19 up-regulated the expression of IFN-γ, CD107a and Ki67. Meanwhile, we found that ICOSL expression was significantly increased on pDCs in pregnant women with COVID-19. Blocking ICOS <i>in vitro</i> significantly decreased the antiviral activity of NKT-like cells in COVID-19 positive pregnant women, suggesting that ICOS-ICOSL may play an important role in the virus clearance by NKT-like cells. <b>Conclusions:</b> During SARS-CoV-2 infection, NKT-like cells of pregnant women activated through ICOS-ICOSL pathway and played an important role in the antiviral response.</p>","PeriodicalId":14031,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Medical Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11302565/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Medical Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.7150/ijms.95952","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: The immune response initiated by SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy is poorly elucidated. We aimed to access and compare the antiviral cellular responses and lymphocytes activation between healthy pregnancies and pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods: We detected the immunological changes of lymphocytes in peripheral blood of healthy non-pregnant women, non-pregnant women with COVID-19, healthy pregnant women, pregnant women with COVID-19 and convalescent group by flow cytometry. In vitro blockade was used to identify NKT-like cell activation through ICOS-ICOSL pathway. Results: We found that CD3+CD56+ NKT-like cells decreased significantly in COVID-19 positive pregnant women compared to healthy pregnant women. NKT-like cells of pregnant women expressed higher level of activating receptors CD69 and NKp46 after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Particularly, they also increased the expression of the co-stimulatory molecule ICOS. NKT-like cells of pregnant women with COVID-19 up-regulated the expression of IFN-γ, CD107a and Ki67. Meanwhile, we found that ICOSL expression was significantly increased on pDCs in pregnant women with COVID-19. Blocking ICOS in vitro significantly decreased the antiviral activity of NKT-like cells in COVID-19 positive pregnant women, suggesting that ICOS-ICOSL may play an important role in the virus clearance by NKT-like cells. Conclusions: During SARS-CoV-2 infection, NKT-like cells of pregnant women activated through ICOS-ICOSL pathway and played an important role in the antiviral response.
期刊介绍:
Original research papers, reviews, and short research communications in any medical related area can be submitted to the Journal on the understanding that the work has not been published previously in whole or part and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Manuscripts in basic science and clinical medicine are both considered. There is no restriction on the length of research papers and reviews, although authors are encouraged to be concise. Short research communication is limited to be under 2500 words.