Biology subjects

Wong, R.

Publications and source records attributed to Wong, R..

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Photostimulus intensity, rather than colour or polarization, is the key driver for stable fly visual attraction in laboratory bioassays

Foraging hematophagous flies such as the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, are shown or expected to sense multiple characteristics of visual host cues. These include relative intensity, spectral composition, and the angle and degree of polarization. Here, we investigated the role of each of these visual cue characteristics on stable fly attraction. In laboratory two-choice bioassays, we offered groups of female or male stable flies a choice between paired photostimuli that differed in their visual characteristics, recording the flies' landing responses on stimuli as the response criterion. Bioassay flies preferentially selected lower-intensity visual stimuli even when paired stimuli markedly differed in spectral composition and polarization characteristics (a high degree of horizontal or vertical polarization). When paired stimuli had identical relative intensity, flies failed to discriminate between the stimulus that presented ultraviolet, blue, green, and red wavebands and a corresponding paired stimulus lacking one of these wavebands. Our results support the hypothesis that foraging stable flies may respond to colour and polarization characteristics of visual stimuli as modulations of perceived intensity. Acquired knowledge on the mechanisms that underlie stable fly visual attraction may inform the design of vision-based traps so that they become optimally attractive to stable flies and other biting flies.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2026

Dual MMP-9/12 Inhibition with AZD1236 Confers Neurovascular Protection and Reduces Post-Stroke Pain in Experimental Stroke Models.

Background: Stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly MMP-9 and MMP-12, contribute to early blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, neuroinflammation, haemorrhagic transformation, and intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). Intravenous thrombolysis is the only widely used pharmacological therapy for acute ischaemic stroke, but its utility is limited by narrow eligibility criteria and haemorrhagic risk. Inhibition of MMPs in the acute phase may offer a complementary neurovascular protective strategy. Methods: AZD1236, a selective dual MMP-9/-12 inhibitor, was evaluated in transient and permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion models and in a collagenase-induced ICH model in young, aged, obese, and female mice. Drug or vehicle was administered 2-6 hours after stroke onset. Outcomes included infarct or haematoma volume, BBB integrity, neurological function, and pain-related behaviours. Results: AZD1236 given within 2-4 hours after ischaemic or haemorrhagic insult significantly reduced infarct and haematoma volumes, improved short- and long-term neurological scores, and preserved BBB integrity, whereas treatment at 6 hours was largely ineffective. AZD1236 also attenuated the development of post-stroke mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Mechanistically, treatment reduced MMP-9 and MMP-12 activity, increased tight junction protein expression, and dampened inflammatory responses. Conclusions: Dual inhibition of MMP-9/-12 with AZD1236 confers robust neurovascular protection and mitigates post-stroke pain across clinically relevant models of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. These findings provide a strong preclinical rationale for clinical evaluation of dual MMP-9/12 inhibition as an adjunctive neuroprotective strategy for acute stroke.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Recovering biological structure in sparse single-cell proteomics with GIRAFI

Single-cell proteomics (SCP) based on liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry resolves protein-level cellular heterogeneity, but interpretation remains limited by detection-linked sparsity. SCP profiles continuous, peptide-derived intensities and has lower throughput than single-cell RNA sequencing, making denoising methods for large-scale, count-based transcriptomics difficult to apply. Here we present GIRAFI, a graph-informed statistical learning framework that imputes missing values and reveals reproducible cell states by constraining inference to dataset-aware, prior-knowledge-informed protein neighborhoods. We evaluated GIRAFI across SCP datasets spanning diverse biological/technical contexts. In masking-based recovery experiments and cell-type-specific protein-protein interaction inference, GIRAFI outperformed existing methods, and matched bulk proteomics comparisons corroborated recovery accuracy and ablations supported the graph-informed design. Beyond reduced replicate- and source-associated technical structure, GIRAFI recovered ground-truth cell-type annotations, improved cell state-resolved pathway analysis, and enabled trajectory inference consistent with known time courses. These results establish graph-constrained imputation as an effective strategy for improving SCP robustness, biological structure, interpretation, and cross-dataset comparability.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2026

ATP-driven membrane binding and polymerization of bacterial actin MreB promotes local membrane fluidization

The bacterial actin homologue MreB plays a key role in rod cell shape determination. We recently showed that MreB from the Gram-positive bacterium Geobacillus stearothermophilus (MreBGs) polymerizes into straight pairs of protofilaments in the presence of both ATP and a lipid surface. Membrane interaction is thought to be mediated by electrostatic interactions with anionic lipids, with final anchoring relying on two spatially close hydrophobic motifs that protrude from the MreBGs monomers, forming a putative membrane-insertion domain. Here, we determined the binding properties of ATP and ADP to MreBGs using fluorescence anisotropy, and monitored ATP-mediated binding and polymer formation on lipid bilayers using liposome binding assays and AFM, respectively. Finally, we used solid-state NMR to visualize the interaction between the membrane and MreBGs at the atomic level. Our findings reveal that MreBGs has similar affinity for both ATP and ADP, unlike eukaryotic actin. We also show that monomeric MreBGs establishes peripheral contacts with the membrane likely through electrostatic interactions, while ATP-induced MreBGs filaments insert into the lipid bilayer without interfering with the membrane lamellar phase and have a significant local fluidifying effect. Statement of significanceBacteria rely on the actin-like protein MreB to determine and maintain their cell shape, like actin does in eukaryotic cells. To perform its tightly regulated morphogenetic function, MreB forms membrane-associated nanofilaments in vivo, which control the cell wall biosynthetic machinery. We recently demonstrated that, in vitro, MreB from the Gram-positive bacterium Geobacillus stearothermophilus requires both ATP and lipids to polymerize into pairs of filaments. Here, we show that in the presence of ATP, Geobacillus MreB forms membrane-bound filaments that directly impact local membrane fluidity, which could translate into a regulatory effect on cell wall synthetic enzymes. We further reveal that MreB binds both ATP and ADP with similar affinity, unlike eukaryotic actin, which preferentially binds ATP over ADP, and speculate that this could be a mechanism modulating the pool of polymerization-competent MreB in bacteria.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2026

Bridging Simplicity and Depth in Single-Cell Proteomics: A Cost-Effective Workflow and Expanded Framework for Data Evaluation

Single-cell proteomics (SCP) offers direct insight into functional protein states that drive cellular heterogeneity, complementing genomic and transcriptomic analyses. Although recent reports have demonstrated improved proteome coverage, their reliance on specialized instrumentation limits broader adoption. Additionally, current evaluation practices remain largely centered on protein and peptide identification counts, which alone do not fully reflect data quality or biological interpretability. Here, we describe an accessible, label-free SCP workflow which implements easily accessible laboratory equipment: a single-cell dispenser, conventional multiwell plates, and an incubator with water-bath-based humidity control. Using trapped ion mobility spectrometry-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (timsTOF), we systematically optimize key sample preparation variables, including trypsin concentration, incubation time, reduction/alkylation, digestion conditions, and plate types, which together maximize data quality and reproducibility. We further introduce a data-quality framework that moves beyond identification counts, emphasizing quantitative consistency and biological interpretability via individual protein coverage completeness across cells, coefficients of variation across technical replicates, peptide-to-protein ratios, and single-cell-to-bulk correlations. Collectively, our approach lowers technical barriers to accessing SCP while enabling more rigorous, interpretable, and scalable SCP analysis across diverse research contexts.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2026

Preventing Data Leakage in Neural Decoding

Neural decoding is a widely-used machine learning technique for investigating how behavior, perception and cognition are represented in neural activity. However without careful application data leakage can occur, where information from the test set contaminates the training set, leading to biased estimates of decoding performance and potentially invalidating biological conclusions. Here we show that leakage can be introduced in neural decoding studies by common supervised and unsupervised preprocessing steps, including dimensionality reduction. We reveal that in some cases leakage can paradoxically decrease decoding performance relative to unbiased estimates, and we provide theoretical analyses explaining how this occurs. We also show that, for autocorrelated neural time series, randomized k-fold cross-validation can dramatically overstate decoding performance. Based on these findings, we provide detailed recommendations for avoiding data leakage in neural decoding.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Optimization of AAV tools to target Muller glial cells for retinal gene therapy

Reprogramming of Muller glial (MG) cells into retinal neurons has the potential to treat vision loss by regenerating the retina. Development of efficient gene delivery systems to target the MG cells is critical. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes and promoter specificity are important factors that influence AAV transduction profile in the retina. However, studies that optimize these parameters to specifically target MG cells are limited, in particular in rats which are commonly used for eye research. Here we tested 4 AAV serotypes and 14 promoters to optimize gene delivery to human MG cells in vitro and/or rat MG cells in vivo. We showed that the combinatorial use of MG-specific serotypes and promoters achieved high specificity for MG cell targeting, with ShH10Y serotype and the GFAP (gfaABC1D) promoter as the best performing tool to target rat MG cells in vivo. We developed new AAV vectors using known and novel MG-specific promoters and engineered short promoter variants to improve the cargo capacity of AAV delivery. Our results highlighted a number of promoters that can target MG cells in vitro or in vivo. This study further expands the AAV toolbox to target MG cells, which has important implications for retinal gene therapy development.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Consensus molecular subtypes define distinct evolutionary trajectories of biliary tract cancers

Introduction Biliary tract cancer (BTC) comprises a family of rare malignancies subclassified by anatomy and pathology. However, this scheme may obscure shared biology and limit patient stratification. Objectives We tested whether BTC heterogeneity can be explained by coherent latent axes and evaluated the potential to unify diverse clinical and genomic factors under a tractable biological framework Methods We performed whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing of 180 tumors enriched for tumor cells by laser capture microdissection to identify shared programs in BTC. Results Network integration across transcriptomic classes identified two consensus cancer subtypes (CCS). CCS segregated with anatomical location of primary tumor and gene expression marker analyses suggest subtypes reflect tumor cell of origin differences. CCS displayed strikingly divergent molecular landscapes, explaining more variance than anatomical location of primary tumor. CCS-B tumors were mutationally loaded with clock-like and APOBEC signatures and extrachromosomal DNA, whereas CCS-A tumors were characterized by chromosome-arm deletions. Conclusion Our approach showed that harnessing the genomic and transcriptomic diversity of BTC uncovers novel biology and improves stratification.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2025

A sensorimotor instability drives a locomotor transition during fish development

Animals rely on movement to survive -- to explore their environment, find food and mates and avoid danger. During development, changes in body shape, muscle strength and physiological needs drive the continuous adjustment of locomotor patterns. How these changes are orchestrated in a flexible and adaptive manner remains unknown. We explore this question in Danionella cerebrum, a miniature freshwater fish that is emerging as an important vertebrate model in systems neuroscience. We identify a clear transition in locomotion, from continuous to burst-and-coast swimming occurring around 3 weeks of age. We demonstrate that this transition is an energy saving strategy, and that it reflects an insta-bility in the sensorimotor process governing speed regulation. Rather than a preprogrammed developmental switch, it is therefore directly tied to the animal swimming strength. We confirmed this finding by manipulating sensory feedback in order to induce a similar transition at fixed developmental stages. Together, our results illustrate a dynamic interplay between body, brain, and environment during development, offering new insights into the principles governing adaptive locomotion.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2025

Compositional Recombination Relies on a Distributed Cortico-Cerebellar Network

Human cognition depends on the ability to flexibly recombine existing knowledge in new ways. Although this capacity for compositionality has traditionally been attributed to cortical networks, its broader neural basis remains unclear. Here, we combined dimensionality reduction of task-based fMRI with recurrent neural network modelling to dissociate two processes underlying compositional cognition: the recruitment of specialised components; and the more general process of recombination. Across 87 participants performing a well-established compositional task, component processes were supported by domain-selective cortical and anterior cerebellar regions, whereas recombination engaged a distributed cortico-cerebellar network that was low-dimensional, highly integrated, and generalised across contexts. Similar functional signatures were also observed in recurrent neural networks trained to perform multiple cognitive tasks, suggesting that low-dimensional recombination is a general solution for flexible compositional cognition. Our findings revise existing models of compositional cognition by highlighting cortico-cerebellar interactions as a mechanism for flexible, integrative task generalisation.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Iso-Seq enables discovery of novel isoform variants in human retina at single cell resolution

Recent single cell transcriptomic profiling of the human retina provided important insights into the genetic signals in heterogeneous retinal cell populations that enable vision. However, conventional single cell RNAseq with 3 short-read sequencing is not suitable to identify isoform variants. Here we utilized Iso-Seq with full-length sequencing to profile the human retina at single cell resolution for isoform discovery. We generated a retina transcriptome dataset consisting of 25,302 nuclei from three donor retina, and detected 49,710 known transcripts and 241,949 novel transcripts across major retinal cell types. We surveyed the use of alternative promoters to drive transcript variant expression, and showed that 1-8% of genes utilized multiple promoters across major retinal cell types. Also, our results enabled gene expression profiling of novel transcript variants for inherited retinal disease (IRD) genes, and identified differential usage of exon splicing in major retinal cell types. Altogether, we generated a human retina transcriptome dataset at single cell resolution with full-length sequencing. Our study highlighted the potential of Iso-Seq to map the isoform diversity in the human retina, providing an expanded view of the complex transcriptomic landscape in the retina.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2024

Rapamycin increases murine lifespan but does not reduce mineral volume in the Matrix GLA Protein (MGP) knockout mouse model of medial arterial calcification.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is the narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to the lower extremities. PAD has been traditionally associated with atherosclerosis. However, recent studies have found that thrombotic events triggered by medial arterial calcification (MAC) is the primary cause of chronic limb ischemia below the knee. MAC is localized around the elastic fibers surrounding smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in arteries. Matrix GLA protein (MGP) binds circulating calcium and prevents hydroxyapatite mineral deposition, while also modulating proosteogenic signaling by attenuating BMP-2-mediated activation of Runx2 gene expression. Mgp-/- mice develop severe MAC and die around 8 weeks after birth due to aortic rupture or heart failure. We previously discovered a rare genetic disease Arterial Calcification due to Deficiency of CD73 (ACDC), in which patients present with extensive MAC in their lower extremity arteries. Using a patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell model, we found that rapamycin inhibited calcification. Here we investigated whether rapamycin could reduce MAC in vivo using the Mgp-/- murine model. Mgp+/+ and Mgp-/- mice received 5mg/kg rapamycin or vehicle. Calcification content was assessed via microCT, and vascular morphology and extracellular matrix content were assessed histologically. Immunostaining and western blot analysis were used to examine SMC phenotype and extracellular matrix content. Rapamycin prolonged Mgp-/- mice lifespan, decreased mineral density in the arteries, maintained SMC contractile phenotype, and improved vessel structure, however, calcification volume was unchanged. Mgp-/- mice with SMC-specific deletion of Raptor or Rictor did not recapitulate treatment with rapamycin. These findings suggest rapamycin promotes beneficial vascular remodeling in vessels with MAC. NEWS AND NOTEWORTHYPeripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with medial arterial calcification (MAC), which involves calcification of arterial elastic fibers and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Matrix GLA protein (MGP) inhibits vascular calcification, and Mgp-/- mice develop severe MAC. Using this model, we found rapamycin prolonged lifespan, reduced arterial mineral density, maintained SMC contractile phenotype, and improved vessel structure, though calcification volume remained unchanged. Findings highlight rapamycins potential for vascular remodeling in MAC.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2024

Cerebral ischaemic stroke results in altered mucosal IgA responses and host-commensal microbiota interactions.

Stroke is a devastating neurological event with a high risk of mortality, but also results in long-term sequalae in survivors that extend beyond the central nervous system. Notably, these include gastrointestinal dysfunction and alterations in the commensal microbiota in both patients and mouse models, which have been suggested to contribute to secondary infection and poor outcome following stroke. Strikingly changes in commensal microbial community composition occur rapidly in both humans and animal models following stroke and correlate with disease severity. Despite these observations the underpinning mechanisms that drive alterations in the microbiota post-stroke remain poorly understood. The gastrointestinal tract is home to a complex network of tissue-resident immune cells that act constitutively to maintain microbial community and prevent bacterial-driven inflammation. Here we demonstrate that mice subjected to ischaemic stroke exhibit alterations in the intestinal immune system, most notably in antibody secreting B cells and the production of Immunoglobulin A (IgA) - a major effector response against commensal microbes. Mice lacking secretory IgA binding to commensal bacteria exhibit a partial reversion of stroke-induced changes in microbiota composition. Notably we also report increases in B cell and IgA-producing plasma cell frequencies in the brain and meninges following stroke. Together these findings demonstrate stroke is associated with perturbations in antibody producing immune responses both in mucosal tissues and the CNS following stroke, which in part explain stroke-induced changes in the intestinal microbiota. A mechanistic understanding of the immunological basis of stroke-associated pathologies in the periphery may open new avenues to manage the secondary complications and long-term prognosis of patients suffering from neurological disease.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Selective deletion of interleukin-1 alpha in microglia regulates neuronal activity and neurorepair processes after experimental ischemic stroke.

Inflammation is a key contributor to stroke pathogenesis and exacerbates brain damage leading to poor outcome. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is an important regulator of post-stroke inflammation, and blocking its actions is beneficial in pre-clinical stroke models and safe in the clinical setting. However, the distinct roles of the two major IL-1 receptor type 1 agonists, IL-1 and IL-1{beta}, and the specific role of IL-1 in ischemic stroke remain largely unknown. Here we show that IL-1 and IL-1{beta} have different spatio-temporal expression profiles in the brain after experimental stroke, with early microglial IL-1 expression (4 h) and delayed IL-1{beta} expression in infiltrated neutrophils and a small microglial subset (24-72 h). We examined for the first time the specific role of microglial-derived IL-1 in experimental permanent and transient ischemic stroke through microglial-specific tamoxifen-inducible Cre-loxP-mediated recombination. Microglial IL-1 deletion did not influence acute brain damage, cerebral blood flow, IL-1{beta} expression, neutrophil infiltration, microglial nor endothelial activation after ischemic stroke. However, microglial IL-1 knock out (KO) mice showed reduced peri-infarct vessel density and reactive astrogliosis at 14 days post-stroke, alongside long-term impaired functional recovery. Our study identifies for the first time a critical role for microglial IL-1 on neurorepair and functional recovery after stroke, highlighting the importance of targeting specific IL-1 mechanisms in brain injury to develop more effective therapies.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Behavioral adaptation to changing energy constraints via altered frequency of movement selection

Animal behavior is strongly constrained by energy consumption. A natural manipulation which provides insight into this constraint is development, where an animal must adapt its movement to a changing energy landscape as its body grows. Unlike many other animals, for fish it is relatively easy to estimate the energy consumed by their movements via fluid mechanics. Here we simulated the fluid mechanics of >100,000 experimentally-recorded movement bouts from larval zebrafish across different ages and fluid conditions as they hunted Paramecia. We find that these fish adapt to their changing relationship with the fluid environment as they grow by adjusting the frequency with which they select different types of movements, so that more expensive movements are chosen less often. This strategy was preserved when fish were raised in an unnaturally viscous environment. This work suggests a general principle by which animals could minimize energy consumption in the face of changing energy costs over development.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2023

Genome-wide screen identifies new set of genes for improved heterologous laccase expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used as a host cell for recombinant protein production due to its fast growth, cost-effective culturing, and ability to secrete large and complex proteins. However, one major drawback is the relatively low yield of produced proteins compared to other host systems. To address this issue, we developed an overlay assay to screen the yeast knockout collection and identify mutants that enhance recombinant protein production, specifically focusing on the secretion of the Trametes trogii fungal laccase enzyme. Gene ontology analysis of these mutants revealed an enrichment of processes including vacuolar targeting, vesicle trafficking, proteolysis, and glycolipid metabolism. We confirmed that a significant portion of these mutants also showed increased activity of the secreted laccase when grown in liquid culture. Notably, we found that the combination of deletions of OCA6, a tyrosine phosphatase, along with PMT1 or PMT2, two ER membrane protein-O-mannosyltransferases involved in ER quality control, and SKI3, a component of the SKI complex responsible for mRNA degradation, further increased secreted laccase activity. Conversely, we also identified over 200 gene deletions that resulted in decreased secreted laccase activity, including many genes that encode for mitochondrial proteins and components of the ER-associated degradation pathway. Intriguingly, the deletion of the ER DNAJ co-chaperone SCJ1 led to almost no secreted laccase activity. When we expressed SCJ1 from a low-copy plasmid, laccase secretion was restored. However, overexpression of Scj1p had a detrimental effect, indicating that precise dosing of key chaperone proteins is crucial for optimal recombinant protein expression. ImportanceOur study showcases a newly developed high throughput screening technique to identify yeast mutant strains that exhibit an enhanced capacity for recombinant protein production. Using a genome-wide approach, we show that vesicle trafficking plays a crucial role in protein production, as the genes associated with this process are notably enriched in our screen. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a specific set of gene deletions, which were not previously recognized for their impact on recombinant laccase production, can be effectively manipulated in combination to increase the production of heterologous proteins. This study offers potential strategies for enhancing the overall yield of recombinant proteins and provides new avenues for further research in optimizing protein production systems.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Peripheral detection of viruses shapes brain immunity and behavior in zebrafish

Olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) are constantly exposed to pathogens, including viruses. However, serious brain infection via the olfactory route rarely occurs. When OSNs detect a virus, they coordinate local antiviral immune responses to stop virus progression to the brain. Despite effective immune control in the olfactory periphery, pathogen-triggered neuronal signals reach the CNS via the olfactory bulb (OB). We hypothesized that neuronal detection of a virus by OSNs initiates neuroimmune responses in the OB that prevent pathogen invasion. Using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model, we demonstrate viral-specific neuronal activation of OSNs projecting into the OB, indicating that OSNs are electrically activated by viruses. Further, behavioral changes are seen in both adult and larval zebrafish after viral exposure. By profiling the transcription of single cells in the OB after OSNs are exposed to virus, we found that both microglia and neurons enter a protective state. Microglia and macrophage populations in the OB respond within minutes of nasal viral delivery followed decreased expression of neuronal differentiation factors and enrichment of genes in the neuropeptide signaling pathway in neuronal clusters. Pituitary adenylate-cyclase-activating polypeptide (pacap), a known antimicrobial, was especially enriched in a neuronal cluster. We confirm that PACAP is antiviral in vitro and that PACAP expression increases in the OB 1 day post-viral treatment. Our work reveals how encounters with viruses in the olfactory periphery shape the vertebrate brain by inducing antimicrobial programs in neurons and by altering host behavior.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2022

T-cell cellular stress and reticulocyte signatures, but not loss of naive T lymphocytes, characterize severe COVID-19 in older adults

In children and younger adults up to 39 years of age, SARS-CoV-2 usually elicits mild symptoms that resemble the common cold. Disease severity increases with age starting at 30 and reaches astounding mortality rates that are ~330 fold higher in persons above 85 years of age compared to those 18-39 years old. To understand age-specific immune pathobiology of COVID-19 we have analyzed soluble mediators, cellular phenotypes, and transcriptome from over 80 COVID-19 patients of varying ages and disease severity, carefully controlling for age as a variable. We found that reticulocyte numbers and peripheral blood transcriptional signatures robustly correlated with disease severity. By contrast, decreased numbers and proportion of naive T-cells, reported previously as a COVID-19 severity risk factor, were found to be general features of aging and not of COVID-19 severity, as they readily occurred in older participants experiencing only mild or no disease at all. Single-cell transcriptional signatures across age and severity groups showed that severe but not moderate/mild COVID-19 causes cell stress response in different T-cell populations, and some of that stress was unique to old severe participants, suggesting that in severe disease of older adults, these defenders of the organism may be disabled from performing immune protection. These findings shed new light on interactions between age and disease severity in COVID-19.

immunology↗