Outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection linked to MAIT cell activation and cytotoxicity: evidence for an IL-18 dependent mechanism

Flament, H.; Rouland, M.; Beaudoin, L.; Toubal, A.; Bertrand, L.; Lebourgeois, S.; Gouda, Z.; Rousseau, C.; Soulard, P.; Hurtado-Nedelec, M.; Luce, S.; Bailly, K.; Andrieu, M.; Boitard, C.; Vallet-Pichard, A.; Gautier, J.-F.; Ajzenberg, N.; Terrier, B.; Pene, F.; Ghosn, J.; Yazdanpanah, Y.; Visseaux, B.; Descamps, D.; Timsit, J.-F.; Monteiro, R. C.; Lehuen, A.

Immune system dysfunction is paramount in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and fatality rate. Mucosal-Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells involved in mucosal immunity and protection against viral infections. Here, we studied the immune cell landscape, with emphasis on MAIT cells, in a cohort of 182 patients including patients at various stages of disease activity. A profound decrease of MAIT cell counts in blood of critically ill patients was observed. These cells showed a strongly activated and cytotoxic phenotype that positively correlated with circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, notably IL-18. MAIT cell alterations markedly correlated with disease severity and patient mortality. SARS-CoV-2-infected macrophages activated MAIT cells in a cytokine-dependent manner involving an IFN-dependent early phase and an IL-18-induced later phase. Therefore, altered MAIT cell phenotypes represent valuable biomarkers of disease severity and their therapeutic manipulation might prevent the inflammatory phase involved in COVID-19 aggravation.