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Len JS, Koh CWT, Chan KR. The Functional Roles of MDSCs in Severe COVID-19 Pathogenesis. Viruses 2023; 16:27. [PMID: 38257728 PMCID: PMC10821470 DOI: 10.3390/v16010027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Severe COVID-19 is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially among those with co-morbidities, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. However, the molecular determinants critical for severe COVID-19 progression remain to be fully elucidated. Meta-analyses of transcriptomic RNAseq and single-cell sequencing datasets comparing severe and mild COVID-19 patients have demonstrated that the early expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) could be a key feature of severe COVID-19 progression. Besides serving as potential early prognostic biomarkers for severe COVID-19 progression, several studies have also indicated the functional roles of MDSCs in severe COVID-19 pathogenesis and possibly even long COVID. Given the potential links between MDSCs and severe COVID-19, we examine the existing literature summarizing the characteristics of MDSCs, provide evidence of MDSCs in facilitating severe COVID-19 pathogenesis, and discuss the potential therapeutic avenues that can be explored to reduce the risk and burden of severe COVID-19. We also provide a web app where users can visualize the temporal changes in specific genes or MDSC-related gene sets during severe COVID-19 progression and disease resolution, based on our previous study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Soon Len
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore;
| | - Clara W. T. Koh
- Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore;
| | - Kuan Rong Chan
- Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore;
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Jiménez-Cortegana C, Salamanca E, Palazón-Carrión N, Sánchez-Jiménez F, Pérez-Pérez A, Vilariño-García T, Fuentes S, Martín S, Jiménez M, Galván R, Rodríguez-Chacón C, Sánchez-Mora C, Moreno-Mellado E, Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez B, Álvarez N, Sosa A, Garnacho-Montero J, de la Cruz-Merino L, Rodríguez-Baño J, Sánchez-Margalet V. Circulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells may be a useful biomarker in the follow-up of unvaccinated COVID-19 patients after hospitalization. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1266659. [PMID: 38035104 PMCID: PMC10685891 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1266659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection is the cause of the disease named COVID-19, a major public health challenge worldwide. Differences in the severity, complications and outcomes of the COVID-19 are intriguing and, patients with similar baseline clinical conditions may have very different evolution. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have been previously found to be recruited by the SARS-CoV-2 infection and may be a marker of clinical evolution in these patients. We have studied 90 consecutive patients admitted in the hospital before the vaccination program started in the general population, to measure MDSCs and lymphocyte subpopulations at admission and one week after to assess the possible association with unfavorable outcomes (dead or Intensive Care Unit admission). We analyzed MDSCs and lymphocyte subpopulations by flow cytometry. In the 72 patients discharged from the hospital, there were significant decreases in the monocytic and total MDSC populations measured in peripheral blood after one week but, most importantly, the number of MDSCs (total and both monocytic and granulocytic subsets) were much higher in the 18 patients with unfavorable outcome. In conclusion, the number of circulating MDSCs may be a good marker of evolution in the follow-up of unvaccinated patients admitted in the hospital with the diagnosis of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Jiménez-Cortegana
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | - Elena Salamanca
- Infectious Diseases and, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine Unit, Virgen Macarena University Hospital/Departments of Medicine and Microbiology, University of Seville/Biomedicine Institute of Seville (IBiS), Seville, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Natalia Palazón-Carrión
- Clinical Oncology Service, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Flora Sánchez-Jiménez
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | - Antonio Pérez-Pérez
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | - Teresa Vilariño-García
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Sandra Fuentes
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | - Salomón Martín
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | - Marta Jiménez
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | - Raquel Galván
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Catalina Sánchez-Mora
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | - Elisa Moreno-Mellado
- Infectious Diseases and, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine Unit, Virgen Macarena University Hospital/Departments of Medicine and Microbiology, University of Seville/Biomedicine Institute of Seville (IBiS), Seville, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Belén Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez
- Infectious Diseases and, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine Unit, Virgen Macarena University Hospital/Departments of Medicine and Microbiology, University of Seville/Biomedicine Institute of Seville (IBiS), Seville, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nerissa Álvarez
- Intensive Care Unit, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | - Alberto Sosa
- Intensive Care Unit, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
| | | | - Luis de la Cruz-Merino
- Clinical Oncology Service, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Jesús Rodríguez-Baño
- Infectious Diseases and, Microbiology and Preventive Medicine Unit, Virgen Macarena University Hospital/Departments of Medicine and Microbiology, University of Seville/Biomedicine Institute of Seville (IBiS), Seville, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Víctor Sánchez-Margalet
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, Seville, Spain
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Shaw JA, Malherbe ST, Walzl G, du Plessis N. Suppressive myeloid cells in SARS-CoV-2 and Mycobacterium tuberculosis co-infection. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1222911. [PMID: 37545508 PMCID: PMC10399583 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1222911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Epidemiologic data show that both current and previous tuberculosis (TB) increase the risk of in-hospital mortality from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), and there is a similar trend for poor outcomes from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection after recent SARS-CoV-2. A shared dysregulation of immunity explains the dual risk posed by co-infection, but the specific mechanisms are being explored. While initial attention focused on T cell immunity, more comprehensive analyses revealed a dysfunctional innate immune response in COVID-19, characterized by reduced numbers of dendritic cells, NK cells and a redistribution of mononuclear phagocytes towards intermediate myeloid subsets. During hyper- or chronic inflammatory processes, activation signals from molecules such as growth factors and alarmins lead to the expansion of an immature population of myeloid cells called myeloid-deprived suppressor cells (MDSC). These cells enter a state of pathological activation, lose their ability to rapidly clear pathogens, and instead become broadly immunosuppressive. MDSC are enriched in the peripheral blood of patients with severe COVID-19; associated with mortality; and with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines. In TB, MDSC have been implicated in loss of control of Mtb in the granuloma and ineffective innate and T cell immunity to the pathogen. Considering that innate immune sensing serves as first line of both anti-bacterial and anti-viral defence mechanisms, we propose MDSC as a crucial mechanism for the adverse clinical trajectories of TB-COVID-19 coinfection.
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Zhang MN, Yuan YL, Ao SH. Advances in the study of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in infectious lung diseases. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1125737. [PMID: 37063919 PMCID: PMC10090681 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1125737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous population of immature cells capable of inhibiting T-cell responses. MDSCs have a crucial role in the regulation of the immune response of the body to pathogens, especially in inflammatory response and pathogenesis during anti-infection. Pathogens such as bacteria and viruses use MDSCs as their infectious targets, and even some pathogens may exploit the inhibitory activity of MDSCs to enhance pathogen persistence and chronic infection of the host. Recent researches have revealed the pathogenic significance of MDSCs in pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, despite the fact that the majority of studies on MDSCs have focused on tumor immune evasion. With the increased prevalence of viral respiratory infections, the resurgence of classical tuberculosis, and the advent of medication resistance in common bacterial pneumonia, research on MDSCs in these illnesses is intensifying. The purpose of this work is to provide new avenues for treatment approaches to pulmonary infectious disorders by outlining the mechanism of action of MDSCs as a biomarker and therapeutic target in pulmonary infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Nan Zhang
- College of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine and the Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yu-Lai Yuan
- The Department of Respirology of the Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Su-Hua Ao
- The Department of Respirology of the Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
- *Correspondence: Su-Hua Ao,
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Prochetto E, Borgna E, Jiménez-Cortegana C, Sánchez-Margalet V, Cabrera G. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells and vaccination against pathogens. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1003781. [PMID: 36250061 PMCID: PMC9557202 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1003781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
It is widely accepted that the immune system includes molecular and cellular components that play a role in regulating and suppressing the effector immune response in almost any process in which the immune system is involved. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are described as a heterogeneous population of myeloid origin, immature state, with a strong capacity to suppress T cells and other immune populations. Although the initial characterization of these cells was strongly associated with pathological conditions such as cancer and then with chronic and acute infections, extensive evidence supports that MDSCs are also involved in physiological/non-pathological settings, including pregnancy, neonatal period, aging, and vaccination. Vaccination is one of the greatest public health achievements and has reduced mortality and morbidity caused by many pathogens. The primary goal of prophylactic vaccination is to induce protection against a potential pathogen by mimicking, at least in a part, the events that take place during its natural interaction with the host. This strategy allows the immune system to prepare humoral and cellular effector components to cope with the real infection. This approach has been successful in developing vaccines against many pathogens. However, when the infectious agents can evade and subvert the host immune system, inducing cells with regulatory/suppressive capacity, the development of vaccines may not be straightforward. Notably, there is a long list of complex pathogens that can expand MDSCs, for which a vaccine is still not available. Moreover, vaccination against numerous bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi has also been shown to cause MDSC expansion. Increases are not due to a particular adjuvant or immunization route; indeed, numerous adjuvants and immunization routes have been reported to cause an accumulation of this immunosuppressive population. Most of the reports describe that, according to their suppressive nature, MDSCs may limit vaccine efficacy. Taking into account the accumulated evidence supporting the involvement of MDSCs in vaccination, this review aims to compile the studies that highlight the role of MDSCs during the assessment of vaccines against pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estefanía Prochetto
- Laboratorio de Tecnología Inmunológica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe capital, Argentina
| | - Eliana Borgna
- Laboratorio de Tecnología Inmunológica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe capital, Argentina
| | - Carlos Jiménez-Cortegana
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Víctor Sánchez-Margalet
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Virgen Macarena University Hospital, University of Seville, Seville, Spain
| | - Gabriel Cabrera
- Laboratorio de Tecnología Inmunológica, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe capital, Argentina
- *Correspondence: Gabriel Cabrera,
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Perfilyeva YV, Ostapchuk YO, Tleulieva R, Kali A, Abdolla N, Krasnoshtanov VK, Perfilyeva AV, Belyaev NN. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells in COVID-19: A review. Clin Immunol 2022; 238:109024. [PMID: 35489643 PMCID: PMC9042722 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2022.109024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially life-threatening infection characterized by excessive inflammation, coagulation disorders and organ damage. A dysregulated myeloid cell compartment is one of the most striking immunopathologic signatures of this newly emerged infection. A growing number of studies are reporting on the expansion of myeloid cells with immunoregulatory activities in the periphery and airways of COVID-19 patients. These cells share phenotypic and functional similarities with myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which were first described in cancer patients. MDSCs are a heterogeneous population of pathologically activated myeloid cells that exert immunosuppressive activities against mainly effector T cells. The increased frequency of these cells in COVID-19 patients suggests that they are involved in immune regulation during this infection. In this article, we review the current findings on MDSCs in COVID-19 and discuss the complex role of these cells in the immunopathology of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuliya V Perfilyeva
- M.A. Aitkhozhin Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 86 Dosmukhamedov St., Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan; Almaty Branch of the National Center for Biotechnology, 14 Zhahanger St., Almaty 050054, Kazakhstan.
| | - Yekaterina O Ostapchuk
- M.A. Aitkhozhin Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 86 Dosmukhamedov St., Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan; Almaty Branch of the National Center for Biotechnology, 14 Zhahanger St., Almaty 050054, Kazakhstan
| | - Raikhan Tleulieva
- M.A. Aitkhozhin Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 86 Dosmukhamedov St., Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan
| | - Aykin Kali
- M.A. Aitkhozhin Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 86 Dosmukhamedov St., Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan; Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71 Al-Farabi Ave., Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan
| | - Nurshat Abdolla
- M.A. Aitkhozhin Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, 86 Dosmukhamedov St., Almaty 050012, Kazakhstan; Almaty Branch of the National Center for Biotechnology, 14 Zhahanger St., Almaty 050054, Kazakhstan; Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71 Al-Farabi Ave., Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan
| | | | | | - Nikolai N Belyaev
- Saint-Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Mira St., St. Petersburg 197101, Russia
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