Memory B Cells Induced by Sputnik V Vaccination Produce SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies Upon Ex Vivo Restimulation

• Published in: Frontiers in immunology Vol. 13; p. 840707
• Main Authors: Byazrova, Maria G, Kulemzin, Sergey V, Astakhova, Ekaterina A, Belovezhets, Tatyana N, Efimov, Grigory A, Chikaev, Anton N, Kolotygin, Ilya O, Gorchakov, Andrey A, Taranin, Alexander V, Filatov, Alexander V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 24-02-2022
• Subjects: Aged; Antibodies, Neutralizing - blood; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Cells, Cultured; Cohort Studies; COVID-19; COVID-19 - immunology; COVID-19 Vaccines - immunology; Female; Humans; Immunization; Immunology; Male; memory B cells; Memory B Cells - immunology; Middle Aged; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - physiology; Sputnik V vaccine; Vaccination; Vaccines, Synthetic - immunology; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Sputnik V vaccine; memory B cells; vaccination
• ISSN: 1664-3224; 1664-3224
• DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.840707

The development of effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 remains a global health priority. Despite extensive use, the effects of Sputnik V on B cell immunity need to be explored in detail. We performed comprehensive profiling of humoral and B cell responses in a cohort of vaccinated subjects (n = 22), and demonstrate that Sputnik vaccination results in robust B cell immunity. We show that B memory cell (MBC) and antibody responses to Sputnik V were heavily dependent on whether the vaccinee had a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection or not. 85 days after the first dose of the vaccine, ex vivo stimulated MBCs from the vast majority of Sputnik V vaccinees produced antibodies that robustly neutralized the Wuhan Spike-pseudotyped lentivirus. MBC-derived antibodies from all previously infected and some of the naïve vaccine recipients could also cross-neutralize Beta (B.1.351) variant of SARS-CoV-2. Virus-neutralizing activity of MBC-derived antibodies correlated well with that of the serum antibodies, suggesting the interplay between the MBC and long-lived plasma cell responses. Thus, our in-depth analysis of MBC responses in Sputnik V vaccinees complements traditional serological approaches and may provide important outlook into future B cell responses upon re-encounter with the emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2.