Upper airway gene expression shows a more robust adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in children
Year: 2022
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Unlike other respiratory viruses, SARS-CoV-2 disproportionately causes severe disease in older adults and only rarely in children. To investigate whether differences in the upper airway immune response could contribute to this disparity, we compared nasopharyngeal gene expression in 83 children (<19-years-old; 38 with SARS-CoV-2, 11 with other respiratory viruses, 34 with no virus) and 154 adults (>40-years-old; 45 with SARS-CoV-2, 28 with other respiratory viruses, 81 with no virus). Expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) was robustly activated in both children and adults with SARS-CoV-2 compared to the respective non-viral groups, with only relatively subtle distinctions. Children, however, demonstrated markedly greater upregulation of pathways related to B cell and T cell activation and proinflammatory cytokine signaling, including TNF, IFNγ, IL-2 and IL-4 production. Cell type deconvolution confirmed greater recruitment of B cells, and to a lesser degree macrophages, to the upper airway of children. Only children exhibited a decrease in proportions of ciliated cells, the primary target of SARS-CoV-2, upon infection with the virus. These findings demonstrate that children elicit a more robust innate and adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the upper airway that likely contributes to their protection from severe disease in the lower airway.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Eran Mick, Alexandra Tsitsiklis, Natasha Spottiswoode, Saharai Caldera, Paula Hayakawa Serpa, Angela M. Detweiler, Norma Neff, Angela Oliveira Pisco, Lucy M. Li, Hanna Retallack, Kalani Ratnasiri, Kayla M. Williamson, Victoria Soesanto, Eric A. F. Simões, Christiana Smith, Lisa Abuogi, Amy Kistler, Brandie D. Wagner, Joseph L. DeRisi, Lilliam Ambroggio, Peter M. Mourani, Charles R. Langelier
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,890
Awards: G5136018925, Integrated Host/Microbe Metagenomics to Improve Lower Respiratory Tract Infection Diagnosis in Critically Ill Children, Profiling the Lung Transcriptome for Precision Diagnosis of Respiratory Infections using Host/Pathogen Metagenomic Sequencing, Biology of Infectious Diseases Training Program, Medical Scientist Training Program (T32 NRSA Training Grant), Integrative Microbiology Program
OpenAlex ID: W4284895101