Multi-Omics Analysis of the Immunological State at Baseline and Following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination in Lung Transplant Recipients [RNA-seq]

Despite their remarkable success, the effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines is notably diminished in organ transplant patients. Here, we employed a multi-omics approach to elucidate the immunological state at baseline and following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination of lung transplant (LTX) patients compared to healthy controls (HC). Our analysis revealed a baseline immune profile in LTX patients that mirrors the immune alterations observed in severe COVID-19 cases and sepsis. This profile is characterized by: (i) elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines in plasma, notably high levels of EN-RAGE and IL-6; (ii) reduced expression of HLA-DR on blood monocytes and dendritic cells (DCs); (iii) diminished cytokine production by blood monocytes and DCs in response to toll-like receptor (TLR) activation; (iv) increased plasma concentrations of microbial products. In addition to these alterations, single-cell RNA-seq analysis revealed 4 transcriptionally distinct clusters of classical monocytes in HC, with a striking enrichment of a unique classical monocyte cluster in LTX patients, differing from the predominant classical monocytes in HC, marked by heightened expression of the S100A family and reduced expression of genes related to cytokine production and antigen presentation. Following vaccination, LTX patients displayed a reduced magnitude and breadth of binding and neutralizing antibody responses, and impaired memory B and T cell responses. Furthermore, there was a blunted innate immune response to vaccination, evidenced by decreased transcriptional signatures linked to antigen presentation, dendritic cell activation, interferon and monocytes at the single-cell level. Integrative multiscale, multiresponse network (MMRN) analysis revealed an inverse correlation between the distinctive baseline immunological state observed in LTX patients and the adaptive immune responses to vaccines. These findings underscore the distinct immunological profile of lung transplant recipients, providing insights into their immunosuppressed condition and reduced immune responses to vaccines.