SARS-CoV-2 epitope-specific CD4 + memory T cell responses across COVID-19 disease severity and antibody durability

CD4 T cells are central to long-term immunity against viruses through the functions of T helper 1 (T 1) and T follicular helper (T ) cell subsets. To better understand the role of these subsets in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immunity, we conducted a longitudinal study of severe acute respira...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science immunology Vol. 7; no. 73; p. eabl9464
Main Authors: Nelson, Ryan W, Chen, Yuezhou, Venezia, Olivia L, Majerus, Richard M, Shin, Daniel S, Carrington, Mary N, Yu, Xu G, Wesemann, Duane R, Moon, James J, Luster, Andrew D
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States 22-07-2022
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Summary:CD4 T cells are central to long-term immunity against viruses through the functions of T helper 1 (T 1) and T follicular helper (T ) cell subsets. To better understand the role of these subsets in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immunity, we conducted a longitudinal study of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific CD4 T cell and antibody responses in convalescent individuals who seroconverted during the first wave of the pandemic in Boston, MA, USA, across a range of COVID-19 disease severities. Analyses of spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) epitope-specific CD4 T cells using peptide and major histocompatibility complex class II (pMHCII) tetramers demonstrated expanded populations of T cells recognizing the different SARS-CoV-2 epitopes in most individuals compared with prepandemic controls. Individuals who experienced a milder disease course not requiring hospitalization had a greater percentage of circulating T (cT ) and T 1 cells among SARS-CoV-2-specific cells. Analysis of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4 T cells responses in a subset of individuals with sustained anti-S antibody responses after viral clearance also revealed an increased proportion of memory cT cells. Our findings indicate that efficient early disease control also predicts favorable long-term adaptive immunity.
ISSN:2470-9468
DOI:10.1126/sciimmunol.abl9464