Lack of Polyfunctional Cytomegalovirus-specific T cells in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Abstract Polyfunctional T cells are critical for maintaining protection against pathogens. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are at increased risks for infectious complications and their T cell immunity against viruses may be impaired. Our current study intends to investigate the effects of renal disease on T cell immunity by analyzing T cell differentiation and polyfunctionality response against cytomegalovirus (CMV), an ubiquitous pathogen. Based on our research, when compared to same-age healthy individuals, ESRD patients are characterized by a significant loss of polyfunctional CMV specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, upregulation of effector phenotypic markers and increased surface PD-1 and TIM-3 expression. Furthermore, we performed transcriptome experiment and identified the functional impairment pathway that is distinct from T cell exhaustion and cannot be reversed by checkpoint blockade. These results give the new insight of designing future immunomodulation therapies.