T-cell receptor diversity and the control of T-cell homeostasis mark Ebola virus disease survival in humans

E Speranza, P Ruibal, JR Port, F Feng… - The Journal of …, 2018 - academic.oup.com
E Speranza, P Ruibal, JR Port, F Feng, L Burkhardt, A Grundhoff, S Günther, L Oestereich
The Journal of infectious diseases, 2018academic.oup.com
Differences in T-cell phenotype, particularly the expression of markers of T-cell homeostasis,
have been observed in fatal and nonfatal Ebola virus disease (EVD). However, the
relationship between these markers with T-cell function and virus clearance during EVD is
poorly understood. To gain biological insight into the role of T cells during EVD, combined
transcriptomics and T-cell receptor sequencing was used to profile blood samples from fatal
and nonfatal EVD patients from the recent West African EVD epidemic. Fatal EVD was …
Abstract
Differences in T-cell phenotype, particularly the expression of markers of T-cell homeostasis, have been observed in fatal and nonfatal Ebola virus disease (EVD). However, the relationship between these markers with T-cell function and virus clearance during EVD is poorly understood. To gain biological insight into the role of T cells during EVD, combined transcriptomics and T-cell receptor sequencing was used to profile blood samples from fatal and nonfatal EVD patients from the recent West African EVD epidemic. Fatal EVD was characterized by strong T-cell activation and increased abundance of T-cell inhibitory molecules. However, the early T-cell response was oligoclonal and did not result in viral clearance. In contrast, survivors mounted highly diverse T-cell responses, maintained low levels of T-cell inhibitors, and cleared Ebola virus. Our findings highlight the importance of T-cell immunity in surviving EVD and strengthen the foundation for further research on targeting of the dendritic cell-T cell interface for postexposure immunotherapy.
Oxford University Press