Memory CD8 + T cell compartment associated with delayed onset of Plasmodium falciparum infection and better parasite control in sickle‐cell trait children

Loiseau, Claire, Traore, Boubacar, Ongoiba, Aissata, Kayentao, Kassoum, Doumbo, Safiatou, Doumtabe, Didier, Sousa, Karina P., Brady, Jamie L., Proietti, Carla, Crompton, Peter D., and Doolan, Denise L. (2021) Memory CD8 + T cell compartment associated with delayed onset of Plasmodium falciparum infection and better parasite control in sickle‐cell trait children. Clinical & Translational Immunology, 10. e1265.

[img]
Preview
PDF (Published Version) - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (1MB) | Preview
View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.1002/cti2.1265
 
643


Abstract

Study of individuals with protection from Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) infection and clinical malaria, including individuals affected by the sickle-cell trait (HbAS), offers the potential to identify cellular targets that could be translated for therapeutic development. We previously reported the first involvement of cellular immunity in HbAS-associated relative protection and identified a novel subset of memory-activated NK cells that was enriched in HbAS children and associated with parasite control. We hypothesised that other memory cell subsets might distinguish the baseline profile of HbAS children and children with normal haemoglobin (HbAA).

Subsets of memory T cells and NK cells were analysed by flow cytometry in paired samples collected from HbAS and HbAA children, at baseline and during the first malaria episode of the ensuing transmission season. Correlations between cell frequencies and features of HbAS-mediated protection from malaria were determined.

HbAS children displayed significantly higher frequency of memory CD8+ T cells at baseline than HbAA children. Baseline frequency of memory CD8+ T cells correlated with features of HbAS-mediated protection from malaria. Exploration of memory CD8+ T cell subsets revealed that central memory CD8+ T cell frequency was higher in HbAS children than in HbAA children.

This study shows that HbAS children develop a larger memory CD8+ T cell compartment than HbAA children, and associates this compartment with better control of subsequent onset of infection and parasite density. Our data suggest that central memory CD8+ T cells may play an important role in the relative protection against malaria experienced by HbAS individuals, and further work to investigate this is warranted.

Item ID: 72694
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 2050-0068
Keywords: haemoglobin AS, memory CD8+ T cells, Plasmodium falciparum, protective immunity, sickle-cell trait phenotype
Copyright Information: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Date Deposited: 01 Mar 2022 02:53
FoR Codes: 32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3207 Medical microbiology > 320704 Medical parasitology @ 100%
SEO Codes: 20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200104 Prevention of human diseases and conditions @ 100%
Downloads: Total: 643
Last 12 Months: 11
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page