Laboratory of Immunology and Biotherapy, Department of Human Pathology, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Immunology Unit, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
J Immunol. 2022 Aug 15;209(4):655-659. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200021. Epub 2022 Jul 27.
Proinflammatory monocytes play a preponderant role in the development of a cytokine storm causing fatal consequences in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, highlighting the importance of analyzing in more detail monocyte distribution in these patients. In this study, we identified an atypical monocyte subpopulation expressing CD56 molecules that showed a low level of HLA-DR and high level of l-selectin. They released higher amounts of TNF-α and IL-6 and expressed genes associated with an excessive inflammatory process. Remarkably, the frequency of CD56 monocytes inversely correlated with that of CD16 monocytes and a high CD56/CD16monocyte ratio was associated with both disease severity and mortality, as well as with serum concentration of type I IFN, a factor able to induce the appearance of CD56 monocytes. In conclusion, severe COVID-19 is characterized by the abundance of hyperinflammatory CD56 monocytes, which could represent a novel marker with prognostic significance and, possibly, a therapeutic target for controlling the inflammatory process occurring during COVID-19.
促炎单核细胞在冠状病毒病 2019（COVID-19）患者细胞因子风暴的发展中起主导作用，导致致命后果，这凸显了更详细分析这些患者单核细胞分布的重要性。在这项研究中，我们鉴定了表达 CD56 分子的非典型单核细胞亚群，其 HLA-DR 水平低，l-选择素水平高。它们释放出更高量的 TNF-α 和 IL-6，并表达与过度炎症过程相关的基因。值得注意的是，CD56 单核细胞的频率与 CD16 单核细胞的频率呈负相关，高 CD56/CD16 单核细胞比值与疾病严重程度和死亡率以及 I 型 IFN 的血清浓度相关，I 型 IFN 是一种能够诱导 CD56 单核细胞出现的因子。总之，严重的 COVID-19 以过度炎症的 CD56 单核细胞的丰富为特征，这可能代表一种具有预后意义的新型标志物，并且可能是控制 COVID-19 期间发生的炎症过程的治疗靶点。
