Activating Killer-Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors Are Associated With The Severity Of Coronavirus Disease 2019

Background. Etiopathogenesis of the clinical variability of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains mostly unknown. In this study, we investigate the role of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)/human leukocyte antigen class-I (HLA-I) interactions in the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19.Methods. We performed KIR and HLA-I genotyping and natural killer cell (NKc) receptors immunophenotyping in 201 symptomatic patients and 210 noninfected controls.Results. The NKcs with a distinctive immunophenotype, suggestive of recent activation (KIR2DS4(low) CD16(low )CD226(low )CD56(hig)(h) TIGIT(high) NKG2A(high)), expanded in patients with severe COVID-19. This was associated with a higher frequency of the functional A-telomeric activating KIR2DS4 in severe versus mild and/or moderate patients and controls (83.7%, 55.7% and 36.2%, P < 7.7 x 10(-)(9)). In patients with mild and/or moderate infection, HLA-B*15:01 was associated with higher frequencies of activating B-telomeric KIR3DS1 compared with patients with other HLA-B*15 subtypes and noninfected controls (90.9%, 42.9%, and 47.3%; P < .002; Pc = 0.022). This strongly suggests that HLA-B*15:01 specifically presenting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 peptides could form a neoligand interacting with KIR3DS1. Likewise, a putative neoligand for KIR2DS4 could arise from other HLA-I molecules presenting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 peptides expressed on infected an/or activated lung antigen-presenting cells.Conclusions. Our results support a crucial role of NKcs in the clinical variability of COVID-19 with specific KIR/ligand interactions associated with disease severity.