Cutting Edge: Lung-Resident T Cells Elicited by SARS-CoV-2 Do Not Mediate Protection against Secondary Infection

J Immunol. 2021 Nov 15;207(10):2399-2404. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100608. Epub 2021 Oct 4.

Abstract

Immunity to pulmonary infection typically requires elicitation of lung-resident T cells that subsequently confer protection against secondary infection. The presence of tissue-resident T cells in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) convalescent patients is unknown. Using a sublethal mouse model of coronavirus disease 2019, we determined if SARS-CoV-2 infection potentiated Ag-specific pulmonary resident CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses and if these cells mediated protection against secondary infection. S protein-specific T cells were present in resident and circulating populations. However, M and N protein-specific T cells were detected only in the resident T cell pool. Using an adoptive transfer strategy, we found that T cells from SARS-CoV-2 immune animals did not protect naive mice. These data indicate that resident T cells are elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection but are not sufficient for protective immunity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Adoptive Transfer
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 / genetics
  • Animals
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Disease Resistance
  • Humans
  • Lung / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • SARS-CoV-2 / physiology*
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology
  • T-Cell Antigen Receptor Specificity

Substances

  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
  • ACE2 protein, human
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2