Adaptive immune responses against common viruses are sustained and functional in end-of-life patients
Summary: Viral infections occur with increased frequency in patients in palliative care, impacting their quality of life and increasing mortality rates. Still, the function of the immune system has never been thoroughly studied at the end of life. We investigated virus-specific humoral and cellular...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | iScience |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225003426 |
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| author | Anna Olofsson Marion Humbert Rokeya S. Rekha Maria Helde Frankling Fridtjof Lund-Johansen Peter Bergman Linda Björkhem-Bergman Annika C. Karlsson |
| author_facet | Anna Olofsson Marion Humbert Rokeya S. Rekha Maria Helde Frankling Fridtjof Lund-Johansen Peter Bergman Linda Björkhem-Bergman Annika C. Karlsson |
| author_sort | Anna Olofsson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Viral infections occur with increased frequency in patients in palliative care, impacting their quality of life and increasing mortality rates. Still, the function of the immune system has never been thoroughly studied at the end of life. We investigated virus-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in elderly end-of-life patients (n = 38) and controls (n = 28). Virus-specific T cell responses were characterized using high-parameter flow cytometry, after stimulation with cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human coronavirus OC43 peptides. Although some virus-specific T cells from patients exhibited elevated expression of costimulatory and coinhibitory molecules, their functional profile remained largely intact compared to controls. The expression of the cytotoxic markers Granzyme B, CD107a, and 2B4 on CMV-specific T cells correlated closely with survival time. Significantly, our data demonstrate that both humoral and cellular immunity remain responsive and functional against common viruses in end-of-life patients. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23c9a716c681486d8a3b992bd7271bc6 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2589-0042 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | iScience |
| spelling | doaj-art-23c9a716c681486d8a3b992bd7271bc62025-08-20T02:59:18ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422025-03-0128311208210.1016/j.isci.2025.112082Adaptive immune responses against common viruses are sustained and functional in end-of-life patientsAnna Olofsson0Marion Humbert1Rokeya S. Rekha2Maria Helde Frankling3Fridtjof Lund-Johansen4Peter Bergman5Linda Björkhem-Bergman6Annika C. Karlsson7Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SwedenDivision of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SwedenDivision of Clinical Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, SwedenDivision of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Theme Cancer, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, SwedenInstitute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, ImmunoLingo Convergence Center, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayDivision of Clinical Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, SwedenDivision of Clinical Geriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Research and Development Unit/Palliative Care, Stockholms Sjukhem, Mariebergsgatan 22, Stockholm, SwedenDivision of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Corresponding authorSummary: Viral infections occur with increased frequency in patients in palliative care, impacting their quality of life and increasing mortality rates. Still, the function of the immune system has never been thoroughly studied at the end of life. We investigated virus-specific humoral and cellular immune responses in elderly end-of-life patients (n = 38) and controls (n = 28). Virus-specific T cell responses were characterized using high-parameter flow cytometry, after stimulation with cytomegalovirus (CMV) and human coronavirus OC43 peptides. Although some virus-specific T cells from patients exhibited elevated expression of costimulatory and coinhibitory molecules, their functional profile remained largely intact compared to controls. The expression of the cytotoxic markers Granzyme B, CD107a, and 2B4 on CMV-specific T cells correlated closely with survival time. Significantly, our data demonstrate that both humoral and cellular immunity remain responsive and functional against common viruses in end-of-life patients.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225003426Health sciencesMedicineMedical specialtyImmunology |
| spellingShingle | Anna Olofsson Marion Humbert Rokeya S. Rekha Maria Helde Frankling Fridtjof Lund-Johansen Peter Bergman Linda Björkhem-Bergman Annika C. Karlsson Adaptive immune responses against common viruses are sustained and functional in end-of-life patients iScience Health sciences Medicine Medical specialty Immunology |
| title | Adaptive immune responses against common viruses are sustained and functional in end-of-life patients |
| title_full | Adaptive immune responses against common viruses are sustained and functional in end-of-life patients |
| title_fullStr | Adaptive immune responses against common viruses are sustained and functional in end-of-life patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adaptive immune responses against common viruses are sustained and functional in end-of-life patients |
| title_short | Adaptive immune responses against common viruses are sustained and functional in end-of-life patients |
| title_sort | adaptive immune responses against common viruses are sustained and functional in end of life patients |
| topic | Health sciences Medicine Medical specialty Immunology |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225003426 |
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