Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific T-cell responses are induced in people living with human immunodeficiency virus after booster vaccination
10.1097/CM9.0000000000003176
- VernacularTitle:Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific T-cell responses are induced in people living with human immunodeficiency virus after booster vaccination
- Author:
Xiuwen WANG
1
;
Yongzheng LI
;
Junyan JIN
;
Xiaoran CHAI
;
Zhenglai MA
;
Junyi DUAN
;
Guanghui ZHANG
;
Tao HUANG
;
Xin ZHANG
;
Tong ZHANG
;
Hao WU
;
Yunlong CAO
;
Bin SU
Author Information
1. Beijing Key Laboratory for HIV/AIDS Research, Sino-French Joint Laboratory for HIV/AIDS Research, Clinical and Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
- Keywords:
HIV;
People living with HIV;
SARS-CoV-2 vaccine;
T-cell responses;
Omicron variant
- From:
Chinese Medical Journal
2024;137(22):2734-2744
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Background::T-cell-mediated immunity is crucial for the effective clearance of viral infection, but the T-cell-mediated immune responses that are induced by booster doses of inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) remain unclear.Methods::Forty-five PLWH who had received antiretroviral therapy (ART) for more than two years and 29 healthy controls (HCs) at Beijing Youan Hospital were enrolled to assess the dynamic changes in T-cell responses between the day before the third vaccine dose (week 0) and 4 or 12 weeks (week 4 or week 12) after receiving the third dose of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot), and multiplex cytokines profiling were used to assess T-cell responses at the three timepoints in this study.Results::The results of the ELISpot and activation-induced marker (AIM) assays showed that SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses were increased in both PLWH and HCs after the third dose of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and a similar magnitude of immune response was induced against the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant compared to the wild-type strain. In detail, spike-specific T-cell responses (measured by the ELISpot assay for interferon γ [IFN-γ] release) in both PLWH and HCs significantly increased in week 4, and the spike-specific T-cell responses in HCs were significantly stronger than those in PLWH 4 weeks after the third vaccination. In the AIM assay, spike-specific CD4 + T-cell responses peaked in both PLWH and HCs in week 12. Additionally, significantly higher spike-specific CD8 + T-cell responses were induced in PLWH than in HCs in week 12. In PLWH, the release of the cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and IL-22 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) that were stimulated with spike peptides increased in week 12. In addition, the levels of IL-4 and IL-5 were higher in PLWH than in HCs in week 12. Interestingly, the magnitude of SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses in PLWH was negatively associated with the extent of CD8 + T-cell activation and exhaustion. In addition, positive correlations were observed between the magnitude of spike-specific T-cell responses (determined by measuring IFN-γ release by ELISpot) and the amounts of IL-4, IL-5, IL-2 and IL-17F. Conclusions::Our findings suggested that SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses could be enhanced by the booster dose of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines and further illustrate the importance of additional vaccination for PLWH.
