Cytomegalovirus antigen-specific T Cell immune response in patients with autoimmune diseases under different cytomegalovirus infection status

Abstract

\n Background: T-cell immunity is important for the control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The frequency of IFN-γ secreting T cells after stimulation with CMV-specific protein-1 (IE-1) and phosphoprotein 65 (pp65) antigen can help predict the risk of active CMV infection. Patients with autoimmune diseases have a high incidence of active CMV infection, but the CMV antigen-specific T cell immune response of this population is still blank in the world. This study aimed to use T-SPOT.CMV to investigate CMV antigen-specific T cell immune response in patients with autoimmune diseases under different CMV infection conditions.Methods: Patients with autoimmune diseases in the Peking Union Medical College Hospital from March, 2017 to October, 2020 were continuously selected. According to the definition, the subjects were divided into latent CMV infection group and active CMV infection group. T-SPOT.CMV was used to evaluate CMV antigen-specific T cell immune response under different CMV infection status, and the possible influential factors of CMV antigen-specific T cell immune response were further analyzed.Results: Fifty patients with latent CMV infection and fifty patients with active CMV infection were enrolled. After stimulated by immediate early IE-1 and pp65 antigen, the median frequency of IFN-γ secreting T cells in active CMV infection group were all significantly lower than that in latent CMV infection group (p<0.001), and in CMV disease group was significantly lower than that in latent CMV infection group (p<0.001). After stimulated by pp65, the median frequency of IFN-γ secreting T cells with CD4+ T cell counts < 200/ul was significantly lower than that of CD4+ T cell counts ≥ 200/ul (p=0.043), and those with CD8+ T cell counts < 250/ul was significantly lower than that of CD8+ T cell counts ≥ 250/ul (p=0.03). The frequency of IFN-γ secreting T cells stimulated by pp65 was significantly higher than IE-1.Conclusions: In patients with autoimmune diseases, the CMV antigen-specific T-cell immune response in patients with active CMV infection was significantly lower than that with latent CMV infection. IE-1 was considered as a more stable antigen with better effect than pp65. Lymphocyte, CD4+T cell and CD8+T cell count might affect CMV antigen-specific T cell immune response.