No expansion of MIS-C associated TCR Vβ 21.3+ T-cells in pediatric Post-COVID Condition, 2026, Tulling et al.

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No expansion of MIS-C associated TCR Vβ 21.3+ T-cells in pediatric Post-COVID Condition

Spoiler: Authors

Tulling; Holierhoek; van der Kroft; van Ostaijen-ten Dam; van Houten; Terheggen-Lagro; Lugthart; Buddingh

The etiology of pediatric post-COVID Condition (PPCC; i.e., long-COVID) remains elusive. Another post-infectious complication of SARS-CoV-2 in children is Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in which an expansion of polyclonal TCR Vβ 21.3+ (TRBV11-2) T-cells has been observed.

Flow cytometry was performed in 86 PPCC, 32 MIS-C, 7 pediatric acute COVID-19, and 15 age matched healthy controls. Most children with MIS-C (25/32, 78%) had an enrichment of Vβ21.3+ expressing cells within activated HLA-DR+/Ki67+ T-cells.

In contrast to children with MIS-C, there was no enrichment of Vβ21.3 expressing cells in PPCC patients, arguing against a shared pathophysiology.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Post-COVID Condition patients do not show TCR Vβ21.3+ T-cell enrichment.

• In MIS-C, TCR Vβ21.3 enrichment is most prevalent in Ki67+/HLA-DR+ T-cells.

• Vβ21.3⁺ cells unique to MIS-C express Ki-67, HLA-DR, CD38, CCR5, and GzmB.

Web | DOI | Immunology Letters | Open Access

 

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See prior MIS-C study: Polyclonal expansion of TCR V 21.3+ CD4+ and CD8+ T cells is a hallmark of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (2021)