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Imbiakha B, Sahler JM, Buchholz DW, Ezzatpour S, Jager M, Choi A, Monreal IA, Byun H, Adeleke RA, Leach J, Whittaker G, Dewhurst S, Rudd BD, Aguilar HC, August A. Adaptive immune cells are necessary for SARS-CoV-2-induced pathology. Sci Adv 2024; 10:eadg5461. [PMID: 38170764 PMCID: PMC10775995 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg5461] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing the ongoing global pandemic associated with morbidity and mortality in humans. Although disease severity correlates with immune dysregulation, the cellular mechanisms of inflammation and pathogenesis of COVID-19 remain relatively poorly understood. Here, we used mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 strain MA10 to investigate the role of adaptive immune cells in disease. We found that while infected wild-type mice lost ~10% weight by 3 to 4 days postinfection, rag-/- mice lacking B and T lymphocytes did not lose weight. Infected lungs at peak weight loss revealed lower pathology scores, fewer neutrophils, and lower interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in rag-/- mice. Mice lacking αβ T cells also had less severe weight loss, but adoptive transfer of T and B cells into rag-/- mice did not significantly change the response. Collectively, these findings suggest that while adaptive immune cells are important for clearing SARS-CoV-2 infection, this comes at the expense of increased inflammation and pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Imbiakha
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Julie M. Sahler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - David W. Buchholz
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Shahrzad Ezzatpour
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Mason Jager
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Annette Choi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Isaac A. Monreal
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Haewon Byun
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Richard Ayomide Adeleke
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Justin Leach
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Gary Whittaker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Stephen Dewhurst
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
| | - Brian D. Rudd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Defense; Cornell Center for Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Hector C. Aguilar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Defense; Cornell Center for Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Avery August
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Defense; Cornell Center for Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Cornell Center for Health Equity, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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