Immune checkpoint inhibitors increase T cell immunity during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide, yet the role of antiviral T cell immunity during infection and the contribution of immune checkpoints remain unclear. By prospectively following a cohort of 292 patients with melanoma, half of which treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), we identified 15 patients with acute or convalescent COVID-19 and investigated their transcriptomic, proteomic, and cellular profiles. We found that ICI treatment was not associated with severe COVID-19 and did not alter the induction of inflammatory and type I interferon responses. In-depth phenotyping demonstrated expansion of CD8 effector memory T cells, enhanced T cell activation, and impaired plasmablast induction in ICI-treated COVID-19 patients. The evaluation of specific adaptive immunity in convalescent patients showed higher spike (S), nucleoprotein (N), and membrane (M) antigen-specific T cell responses and similar induction of spike-specific antibody responses. Our findings provide evidence that ICI during COVID-19 enhanced T cell immunity without exacerbating inflammation.

• Authors: Nader Yatim, Jeremy Boussier, Pauline Tetu, Nikaïa Smith, Timothée Bruel, Bruno Charbit, Laura Barnabei, Aurélien Corneau, Laetitia Da Meda, Clara Allayous, Barouyr Baroudjian, Majdi Jebali, Florian Herms, Ludivine Grzelak, Isabelle Staropoli, Vincent Calmettes, Jerome Hadjadj, Olivier Peyrony, Charles Cassius, Jerome LeGoff, Nora Kramkimel, Selim Aractingi, Magnus Fontes, Catherine Blanc, Frederic Rieux-Laucat, Olivier Schwartz, Benjamin Terrier, Darragh Duffy, Celeste Lebbé
• Journal: Science advances (Sci Adv) Vol. 7 Issue 34 (08 2021) ISSN: 2375-2548 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 34407944 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2021 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY).

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Viral
• Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
• Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus

Topics

• Adaptive Immunity (drug effects, immunology)
• Aged
• Antibodies, Viral (immunology)
• CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes (drug effects, immunology, virology)
• COVID-19 (complications, immunology, virology)
• Female
• Humans
• Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (immunology, therapeutic use)
• Immunologic Memory (drug effects, immunology)
• Lymphocyte Activation (drug effects, immunology)
• Male
• Melanoma (complications, drug therapy, immunology)
• Middle Aged
• Prospective Studies
• SARS-CoV-2 (immunology, metabolism, physiology)
• Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus (immunology, metabolism)
• T-Lymphocytes (drug effects, immunology, virology)