Signature of long-lived memory CD8+ T cells in acute SARS-CoV-2 infection

• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04280-x
• Publication Date: 2021-12-07T17:02:39Z
• Authors: Sarah Adamo; Jan Michler; Yves Zurbuchen; Carlo Cervia; Patrick Taeschler; Miro E. Raeber; Simona Baghai Sain; Jakob Nilsson; Andreas E. Moor; Onur Boyman
• Keywords: Memory T cell

Abstract Immunological memory is a hallmark of adaptive immunity and facilitates an accelerated enhanced immune response upon re-infection with the same pathogen 1,2 . Since outbreak ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, key question has focused on which SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells stimulated during acute infection give rise to long-lived 3 Here, using spectral flow cytometry combined cellular indexing transcriptomes cell receptor sequencing, we longitudinally characterized individual CD8 + patients from 1 year into recovery found distinct signature identifying cells. persisting after express CD45RA, IL-7 receptor-α factor 1, but they maintain low expression CCR7, thus resembling CD45RA effector Tracking clones cells, reveal that interferon marks whereas prolonged proliferation mechanistic target rapamycin signalling are associated clonal disappearance blood. Collectively, describe transcriptional long-lived, circulating human following viral infection.