Dynamic response landscape of immune cells identified immune dysfunction which predicts disease progression in COVID-19 infected patients

Xiangyu Deng^4*, Yao Zhang^1,2,3*, Meiqi Li^1,2,3*, Xiaolong Tang^1,2,3, Jing Shen^1,2,3, Yu Chen^1,2,3, Yueshui Zhao^1,2,3, Qinglian Wen⁴, Xu Wu^1,2,3, Mingxing Li^1,2,3, Jing Li⁵, Wenping Xu⁶, Wanping Li¹, Zhangang Xiao^1,2,3,4✉, Deqiang Xian^6✉, Fukuan Du^1,2,3✉

1. Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Sichuan Luzhou 646600, China
2. Cell Therapy & Cell Drugs of Luzhou Key Laboratory, Sichuan Luzhou, 646000, China
3. South Sichuan Institute of Translational Medicine, Sichuan Luzhou 646600, China
4. Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Sichuan Luzhou 646600, China
5. Department of Oncology and Hematology, Hospital (T.C.M) Affiliated to Southwest Medical University, Sichuan Luzhou 646600, China
6. Luzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Sichuan Luzhou 646600, China
^*These authors contributed equally to this work

✉ Corresponding authors: Zhangang Xiao, Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, Sichuan Luzhou 646600, China; E-mail: xzg555898com. Deqiang Xian, Luzhou Center for Di More

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Citation:
Deng X, Zhang Y, Li M, Tang X, Shen J, Chen Y, Zhao Y, Wen Q, Wu X, Li M, Li J, Xu W, Li W, Xiao Z, Xian D, Du F. Dynamic response landscape of immune cells identified immune dysfunction which predicts disease progression in COVID-19 infected patients. Int J Biol Sci 2022; 18(7):3066-3081. doi:10.7150/ijbs.71163. Available from https://www.ijbs.com/v18p3066.htm

Abstract

During the development of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection from mild disease to severe disease, it can trigger a series of complications and stimulate a strong cellular and humoral immune response. However, the precise identification of blood immune cell response dynamics and the relevance to disease progression in COVID-19 patients remains unclear. We propose for the first time to use changes in cell numbers to establish new subgroups, which were divided into four groups: first from high to low cell number (H_L_Group), first from low to high (L_H_Group), continuously high (H_Group), and continuously low (L_Group). It was found that in the course of disease development. In the T cell subgroup, the immune response is mainly concentrated in the H_L_Group cell type, and the complications are mainly in the L_H_Group cell type. In the NK cell subgroup, the moderate patients are mainly related to cellular immunity, and the severe patients are mainly caused by the disease, while severe patients are mainly related to complications caused by diseases. Our study provides a dynamic response of immune cells in human blood during SARS-CoV-2 infection and the first subgroup analysis using dynamic changes in cell numbers, providing a new reference for clinical treatment of COVID-19.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, T Cells, NK Cells, Single Cell RNA-seq