Poor CMV-specific CD8+ T central memory subset recovery at early stage post-HSCT associates with refractory and recurrent CMV reactivation.
Refractory and recurrent cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation were independent risk factors of CMV disease and transplant-related mortality post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Our aims were to identify the recovery of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells with a central memory phenotype (TCM) associated with refractory and recurrent CMV reactivation.



We analyzed findings in a prospective study comprising (n = 107) post allo-HSCT. CMV-specific CD8+ T cells were determined using HLA class I pentamers together with extended phenotypic analyses.



The patients with lower level of CMV-specific CD8+ TCM at day 30 post-HSCT had an increased risk of refractory and recurrent CMV (68.5%) comparing with the higher one (13.2%) (p < 0.001) and poorer long term CMV-specific CD8+ T cell reconstitution post-HSCT (p = 0.026). Multivariate analysis revealed that CMV-specific CD8+ TCM at day 30 was an independent prognostic factor for refractory and recurrent reactivation (p = 0.002).



The CMV-specific CD8+ TCM subset at day 30 post-HSCT is associated with CMV-specific T cell immunity recovery as well as the refractory and recurrent CMV reactivation post-HSCT.
Peking University People's Hospital, Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Beijing, 100044, China.
Jing
J
Liu
Peking University People's Hospital, Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Beijing, 100044, China.
Ying-Jun
YJ
Chang
Peking University People's Hospital, Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Beijing, 100044, China.
Chen-Hua
CH
Yan
Peking University People's Hospital, Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Beijing, 100044, China.
Lan-Ping
LP
Xu
Peking University-Tsinghua University Joint Center for Life Science, Beijing, China.
Zheng-Fan
ZF
Jiang
Peking University People's Hospital, Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Beijing, 100044, China.
Xiao-Hui
XH
Zhang
Peking University People's Hospital, Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Beijing, 100044, China.
Kai-Yan
KY
Liu
Peking University People's Hospital, Institute of Hematology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Beijing, 100044, China; Peking University-Tsinghua University Joint Center for Life Science, Beijing, China. Electronic address: huangxiaojun@bjmu.edu.cn.
Xiao-Jun
XJ
Huang
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014775:Virus Activation; D055815:Young Adult
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; CMV reactivation; CMV-specific CD8+ T cell; Central memory T cell subset; Refractory CMV