Immune aging or immunosenescence is characterized by a loss of T cell clonal diversity and a contraction of naïve T cells with proliferative capacity associated with the functional impairment of many others immune cells as well as a chronic low degree of inflammation. A restrictive T cell repertoire is likely more prone to antigen-mediated exhaustion observed during chronic viral infections. Notably, lymphopenia is the most consistent laboratory abnormality in COVID-19 infected patients and both lung-resident and circulating T cells potently up-regulate markers of T cell exhaustion. It is not clear today if the association of COVID-19 disease severity with age is mainly related with the immunosenescence of infected patients. Interestingly, T cell exhaustion and premature immunosenescence have also been observed in chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To better understand the immunological mechanisms involved in SARS-Cov-2 pathophysiology, the investigators propose to compare the immunosenescence patterns observed during RA, aging and SARS-Cov-2 infected patients in order to design improved therapeutic interventions.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
43
Blood sampling - 10mL
CHU Montpellier
Montpellier, France
Results of phenotypic immunosenescence analyses of COVID-19 patients targeting 5 different immune populations (neutrophils, T lymphocytes, NK lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and monocytes).
Time frame: At inclusion visit
Comparison of previous results with the results of senescence immunophenotyping in peripheral blood of a reference population with an inflammatory disease (active RA)
Time frame: At inclusion visit
Comparison of previous results with the results of senescence immunophenotyping in peripheral blood of a reference population of healthy controls.
Time frame: At inclusion visit
Identification of a specific gene expression of immunosenescence induced in COVID-19 patients, using transcriptomic analysis in the different immune subpopulations previously identified and specific to COVID-19 patients.
Time frame: At inclusion visit
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