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Yang Y, Miller H, Byazrova MG, Cndotti F, Benlagha K, Camara NOS, Shi J, Forsman H, Lee P, Yang L, Filatov A, Zhai Z, Liu C. The characterization of CD8 + T-cell responses in COVID-19. Emerg Microbes Infect 2024; 13:2287118. [PMID: 37990907 PMCID: PMC10786432 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2287118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
This review gives an overview of the protective role of CD8+ T cells in SARS-CoV-2 infection. The cross-reactive responses intermediated by CD8+ T cells in unexposed cohorts are described. Additionally, the relevance of resident CD8+ T cells in the upper and lower airway during infection and CD8+ T-cell responses following vaccination are discussed, including recent worrisome breakthrough infections and variants of concerns (VOCs). Lastly, we explain the correlation between CD8+ T cells and COVID-19 severity. This review aids in a deeper comprehension of the association between CD8+ T cells and SARS-CoV-2 and broadens a vision for future exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanting Yang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
- Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Heather Miller
- Cytek Biosciences, R&D Clinical Reagents, Fremont, CA, USA
| | - Maria G. Byazrova
- Laboratory of Immunochemistry, National Research Center Institute of Immunology, Federal Medical Biological Agency of Russia, Moscow, Russia
| | - Fabio Cndotti
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kamel Benlagha
- Institut de Recherche Saint-Louis, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Niels Olsen Saraiva Camara
- Laboratory of Human Immunology, Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Junming Shi
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Huamei Forsman
- Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Pamela Lee
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Lu Yang
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Alexander Filatov
- Laboratory of Immunochemistry, National Research Center Institute of Immunology, Federal Medical Biological Agency of Russia, Moscow, Russia
| | - Zhimin Zhai
- Department of Hematology, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chaohong Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
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2
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Ahn YM, Maddumage JC, Grant EJ, Chatzileontiadou DS, Perera WG, Baker BM, Szeto C, Gras S. The impact of SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation on peptide presentation is HLA allomorph-specific. Curr Res Struct Biol 2024; 7:100148. [PMID: 38742159 PMCID: PMC11089313 DOI: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2024.100148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
CD8+ T cells are crucial for viral elimination and recovery from viral infection. Nonetheless, the current understanding of the T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 at the antigen level remains limited. The Spike protein is an external structural protein that is prone to mutations, threatening the efficacy of current vaccines. Therefore, we have characterised the immune response towards the immunogenic Spike-derived peptide (S976-984, VLNDILSRL), restricted to the HLA-A*02:01 molecule, which is mutated in both Alpha (S982A) and Omicron BA.1 (L981F) variants of concern. We determined that the mutation in the Alpha variant (S982A) impacted both the stability and conformation of the peptide, bound to HLA-A*02:01, in comparison to the original S976-984. We identified a longer and overlapping immunogenic peptide (S975-984, SVLNDILSRL) that could be presented by HLA-A*02:01, HLA-A*11:01 and HLA-B*13:01 allomorphs. We showed that S975-specific CD8+ T cells were weakly cross-reactive to the mutant peptides despite their similar conformations when presented by HLA-A*11:01. Altogether, our results show that the impact of SARS-CoV-2 mutations on peptide presentation is HLA allomorph-specific, and that post vaccination there are T cells able to react and cross-react towards the variant of concern peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- You Min Ahn
- Infection & Immunity Program, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Agriculture (SABE), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Janesha C. Maddumage
- Infection & Immunity Program, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Agriculture (SABE), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Emma J. Grant
- Infection & Immunity Program, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Agriculture (SABE), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Demetra S.M. Chatzileontiadou
- Infection & Immunity Program, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Agriculture (SABE), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - W.W.J. Gihan Perera
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Brian M. Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Christopher Szeto
- Infection & Immunity Program, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Agriculture (SABE), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Australian Synchrotron, ANSTO, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Stephanie Gras
- Infection & Immunity Program, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Agriculture (SABE), La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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3
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Dang TTT, Anzurez A, Nakayama-Hosoya K, Miki S, Yamashita K, de Souza M, Matano T, Kawana-Tachikawa A. Breadth and Durability of SARS-CoV-2-Specific T Cell Responses following Long-Term Recovery from COVID-19. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0214323. [PMID: 37428088 PMCID: PMC10433967 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.02143-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
T cell immunity is crucial for long-term immunological memory, but the profile of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific memory T cells in individuals who recovered from COVID-19 (COVID-19-convalescent individuals) is not sufficiently assessed. In this study, the breadth and magnitude of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses were determined in COVID-19-convalescent individuals in Japan. Memory T cells against SARS-CoV-2 were detected in all convalescent individuals, and those with more severe disease exhibited a broader T cell response relative to cases with mild symptoms. Comprehensive screening of T cell responses at the peptide level was conducted for spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, and regions frequently targeted by T cells were identified. Multiple regions in S and N proteins were targeted by memory T cells, with median numbers of target regions of 13 and 4, respectively. A maximum of 47 regions were recognized by memory T cells for an individual. These data indicate that SARS-CoV-2-convalescent individuals maintain a substantial breadth of memory T cells for at least several months following infection. Broader SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell responses, relative to CD8+ T cell responses, were observed for the S but not the N protein, suggesting that antigen presentation is different between viral proteins. The binding affinity of predicted CD8+ T cell epitopes to HLA class I molecules in these regions was preserved for the Delta variant and at 94 to 96% for SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants, suggesting that the amino acid changes in these variants do not have a major impact on antigen presentation to SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells. IMPORTANCE RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, evade host immune responses through mutations. As broader T cell responses against multiple viral proteins could minimize the impact of each single amino acid mutation, the breadth of memory T cells would be one essential parameter for effective protection. In this study, breadth of memory T cells to S and N proteins was assessed in COVID-19-convalescent individuals. While broad T cell responses were induced against both proteins, the ratio of N to S proteins for breadth of T cell responses was significantly higher in milder cases. The breadth of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses was also significantly different between S and N proteins, suggesting different contributions of N and S protein-specific T cells for COVID-19 control. Most CD8+ T cell epitopes in the immunodominant regions maintained their HLA binding to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants. Our study provides insights into understanding the protective efficacy of SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T cells against reinfection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thi Thu Thao Dang
- AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | - Alitzel Anzurez
- AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
| | | | - Shoji Miki
- AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Mark de Souza
- AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Matano
- AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
- Department of AIDS Vaccine Development, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ai Kawana-Tachikawa
- AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
- Department of AIDS Vaccine Development, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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4
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Mayer-Blackwell K, Ryu H, Codd AS, Parks KR, MacMillan HR, Cohen KW, Stewart TL, Seese A, Lemos MP, De Rosa SC, Czartoski JL, Moodie Z, Nguyen LT, McGuire DJ, Ahmed R, Fiore-Gartland A, McElrath MJ, Newell EW. mRNA vaccination boosts S-specific T cell memory and promotes expansion of CD45RA int T EMRA-like CD8 + T cells in COVID-19 recovered individuals. Cell Rep Med 2023; 4:101149. [PMID: 37552991 PMCID: PMC10439252 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 infection and mRNA vaccination both elicit spike (S)-specific T cell responses. To analyze how T cell memory from prior infection influences T cell responses to vaccination, we evaluated functional T cell responses in naive and previously infected vaccine recipients. Pre-vaccine S-specific responses are predictive of subsequent CD8+ T cell vaccine-response magnitudes. Comparing baseline with post-vaccination TCRβ repertoires, we observed large clonotypic expansions correlated with the frequency of spike-specific T cells. Epitope mapping the largest CD8+ T cell responses confirms that an HLA-A∗03:01 epitope was highly immunodominant. Peptide-MHC tetramer staining together with mass cytometry and single-cell sequencing permit detailed phenotyping and clonotypic tracking of these S-specific CD8+ T cells. Our results demonstrate that infection-induced S-specific CD8+ T cell memory plays a significant role in shaping the magnitude and clonal composition of the circulating T cell repertoire after vaccination, with mRNA vaccination promoting CD8+ memory T cells to a TEMRA-like phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koshlan Mayer-Blackwell
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Heeju Ryu
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Amy S Codd
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - K Rachael Parks
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Hugh R MacMillan
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Kristen W Cohen
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Terri L Stewart
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Aaron Seese
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Maria P Lemos
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Stephen C De Rosa
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Julie L Czartoski
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Zoe Moodie
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Long T Nguyen
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Donald J McGuire
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Rafi Ahmed
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Andrew Fiore-Gartland
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - M Juliana McElrath
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
| | - Evan W Newell
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
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5
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Duette G, Lee E, Martins Costa Gomes G, Tungatt K, Doyle C, Stylianou VV, Lee A, Maddocks S, Taylor J, Khanna R, Bull RA, Martinello M, Sandgren KJ, Cunningham AL, Palmer S. Highly Networked SARS-CoV-2 Peptides Elicit T Cell Responses with Enhanced Specificity. Immunohorizons 2023; 7:508-527. [PMID: 37358499 PMCID: PMC10580120 DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.2300034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell epitope-derived peptides is critical for the development of effective vaccines and measuring the duration of specific SARS-CoV-2 cellular immunity. In this regard, we previously identified T cell epitope-derived peptides within topologically and structurally essential regions of SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid proteins by applying an immunoinformatics pipeline. In this study, we selected 30 spike- and nucleocapsid-derived peptides and assessed whether these peptides induce T cell responses and avoid major mutations found in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Our peptide pool was highly specific, with only a single peptide driving cross-reactivity in people unexposed to SARS-COV-2, and immunogenic, inducing a polyfunctional response in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from COVID-19 recovered individuals. All peptides were immunogenic and individuals recognized broad and diverse peptide repertoires. Moreover, our peptides avoided most mutations/deletions associated with all four SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern while retaining their physicochemical properties even when genetic changes are introduced. This study contributes to an evolving definition of individual CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes that can be used for specific diagnostic tools for SARS-CoV-2 T cell responses and is relevant to the development of variant-resistant and durable T cell-stimulating vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Duette
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Eunok Lee
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Katie Tungatt
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Chloe Doyle
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Vicki V. Stylianou
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ashley Lee
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Susan Maddocks
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Janette Taylor
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Rajiv Khanna
- QIMR Berghofer Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Rowena A. Bull
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marianne Martinello
- The Kirby Institute, UNSW Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Blacktown & Mount Druitt Hospital, Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kerrie J. Sandgren
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Anthony L. Cunningham
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Sarah Palmer
- Centre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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6
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Yang G, Wang J, Sun P, Qin J, Yang X, Chen D, Zhang Y, Zhong N, Wang Z. SARS-CoV-2 epitope-specific T cells: Immunity response feature, TCR repertoire characteristics and cross-reactivity. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1146196. [PMID: 36969254 PMCID: PMC10036809 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1146196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The devastating COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 and multiple variants or subvariants remains an ongoing global challenge. SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses play a critical role in early virus clearance, disease severity control, limiting the viral transmission and underpinning COVID-19 vaccine efficacy. Studies estimated broad and robust T cell responses in each individual recognized at least 30 to 40 SARS-CoV-2 antigen epitopes and associated with COVID-19 clinical outcome. Several key immunodominant viral proteome epitopes, including S protein- and non-S protein-derived epitopes, may primarily induce potent and long-lasting antiviral protective effects. In this review, we summarized the immune response features of immunodominant epitope-specific T cells targeting different SRAS-CoV-2 proteome structures after infection and vaccination, including abundance, magnitude, frequency, phenotypic features and response kinetics. Further, we analyzed the epitopes immunodominance hierarchy in combination with multiple epitope-specific T cell attributes and TCR repertoires characteristics, and discussed the significant implications of cross-reactive T cells toward HCoVs, SRAS-CoV-2 and variants of concern, especially Omicron. This review may be essential for mapping the landscape of T cell responses toward SARS-CoV-2 and optimizing the current vaccine strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Yang
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Junxiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease & National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ping Sun
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Jian Qin
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Xiaoyun Yang
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease & National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Daxiang Chen
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease & National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunhui Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
- *Correspondence: Zhongfang Wang, ; Nanshan Zhong, ; Yunhui Zhang,
| | - Nanshan Zhong
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease & National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Zhongfang Wang, ; Nanshan Zhong, ; Yunhui Zhang,
| | - Zhongfang Wang
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease & National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Zhongfang Wang, ; Nanshan Zhong, ; Yunhui Zhang,
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7
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Schroeder SM, Nelde A, Walz JS. Viral T-cell epitopes - Identification, characterization and clinical application. Semin Immunol 2023; 66:101725. [PMID: 36706520 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2023.101725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
T-cell immunity, mediated by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, represents a cornerstone in the control of viral infections. Virus-derived T-cell epitopes are represented by human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-presented viral peptides on the surface of virus-infected cells. They are the prerequisite for the recognition of infected cells by T cells. Knowledge of viral T-cell epitopes provides on the one hand a diagnostic tool to decipher protective T-cell immune responses in the human population and on the other hand various prophylactic and therapeutic options including vaccination approaches and the transfer of virus-specific T cells. Such approaches have already been proven to be effective against various viral infections, particularly in immunocompromised patients lacking sufficient humoral, antibody-based immune response. This review provides an overview on the state of the art as well as current studies regarding the identification and characterization of viral T-cell epitopes and approaches of clinical application. In the first chapter in silico prediction tools and direct, mass spectrometry-based identification of viral T-cell epitopes is compared. The second chapter provides an overview of commonly used assays for further characterization of T-cell responses and phenotypes. The final chapter presents an overview of clinical application of viral T-cell epitopes with a focus on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), being representatives of relevant viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Schroeder
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head, and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Annika Nelde
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) 'Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Juliane S Walz
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University and University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) 'Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Clinical Collaboration Unit Translational Immunology, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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8
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Meyer S, Blaas I, Bollineni RC, Delic-Sarac M, Tran TT, Knetter C, Dai KZ, Madssen TS, Vaage JT, Gustavsen A, Yang W, Nissen-Meyer LSH, Douvlataniotis K, Laos M, Nielsen MM, Thiede B, Søraas A, Lund-Johansen F, Rustad EH, Olweus J. Prevalent and immunodominant CD8 T cell epitopes are conserved in SARS-CoV-2 variants. Cell Rep 2023; 42:111995. [PMID: 36656713 PMCID: PMC9826989 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.111995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) is driven by mutations that mediate escape from neutralizing antibodies. There is also evidence that mutations can cause loss of T cell epitopes. However, studies on viral escape from T cell immunity have been hampered by uncertain estimates of epitope prevalence. Here, we map and quantify CD8 T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2-specific minimal epitopes in blood drawn from April to June 2020 from 83 COVID-19 convalescents. Among 37 HLA ligands eluted from five prevalent alleles and an additional 86 predicted binders, we identify 29 epitopes with an immunoprevalence ranging from 3% to 100% among individuals expressing the relevant HLA allele. Mutations in VOC are reported in 10.3% of the epitopes, while 20.6% of the non-immunogenic peptides are mutated in VOC. The nine most prevalent epitopes are conserved in VOC. Thus, comprehensive mapping of epitope prevalence does not provide evidence that mutations in VOC are driven by escape of T cell immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Meyer
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Isaac Blaas
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ravi Chand Bollineni
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Marina Delic-Sarac
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Trung T. Tran
- Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Cathrine Knetter
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ke-Zheng Dai
- Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | | | - John T. Vaage
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway,Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Alice Gustavsen
- Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Weiwen Yang
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Karolos Douvlataniotis
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Maarja Laos
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Morten Milek Nielsen
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Bernd Thiede
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - Arne Søraas
- Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Fridtjof Lund-Johansen
- Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway,ImmunoLingo Convergence Center, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Even H. Rustad
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway,Corresponding author
| | - Johanna Olweus
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, 0379 Oslo, Norway,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway,Corresponding author
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9
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Jin X, Liu X, Shen C. A systemic review of T-cell epitopes defined from the proteome of SARS-CoV-2. Virus Res 2023; 324:199024. [PMID: 36526016 PMCID: PMC9757803 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2022.199024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains in a global pandemic, and no eradicative therapy is currently available. Host T cells have been shown to play a crucial role in the antiviral immune protection and pathology in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients; thus, identifying sufficient T-cell epitopes from the SARS-CoV-2 proteome can contribute greatly to the development of T-cell epitope vaccines and the precise evaluation of host SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular immunity. This review presents a comprehensive map of T-cell epitopes functionally validated from SARS-CoV-2 antigens, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) supertypes to present these epitopes, and the strategies to screen and identify T-cell epitopes. To the best of our knowledge, a total of 1349 CD8+ T-cell epitopes and 790 CD4+ T-cell epitopes have been defined by functional experiments thus far, but most are presented by approximately twenty common HLA supertypes, such as HLA-A0201, A2402, B0702, DR15, DR7 and DR11 molecules, and 74-80% of the T-cell epitopes are derived from S protein and nonstructural protein. These data provide useful insight into the development of vaccines and specific T-cell detection systems. However, the currently defined T-cell epitope repertoire cannot cover the HLA polymorphism of major populations in an indicated geographic region. More research is needed to depict an overall landscape of T-cell epitopes, which covers the overall SARS-CoV-2 proteome and global patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiao Jin
- Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China 225002; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 210009
| | - Xiaotao Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 210009
| | - Chuanlai Shen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School of Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China 210009.
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10
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Hernandez SPA, Hersby DS, Munk KK, Tamhane T, Trubach D, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L, Gang AO, Hadrup SR, Saini SK. Three doses of BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine establish long-lasting CD8 + T cell immunity in CLL and MDS patients. Front Immunol 2023; 13:1035344. [PMID: 36703960 PMCID: PMC9873231 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1035344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with hematological malignancies are prioritized for COVID-19 vaccine due to their high risk for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection-related disease and mortality. To understand T cell immunity, its long-term persistence, and its correlation with antibody response, we evaluated the BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine-specific immune response in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and myeloid dysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. Longitudinal analysis of CD8+ T cells using DNA-barcoded peptide-MHC multimers covering the full SARS-CoV-2 Spike-protein (415 peptides) showed vaccine-specific T cell activation and persistence of memory T cells up to six months post-vaccination. Surprisingly, a higher frequency of vaccine-induced antigen-specific CD8+ T cells was observed in the patient group compared to a healthy donor group. Furthermore, and importantly, immunization with the second booster dose significantly increased the frequency of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells as well as the total number of T cell specificities. Altogether 59 BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine-derived immunogenic responses were identified, of which 23 established long-term CD8+ T cell memory response with a strong immunodominance for NYNYLYRLF (HLA-A24:02) and YLQPRTFLL (HLA-A02:01) epitopes. In summary, we mapped the vaccine-induced antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and showed a booster-specific activation and enrichment of memory T cells that could be important for long-term disease protection in this patient group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Patricia Amaya Hernandez
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Ditte Stampe Hersby
- Department of Hematology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kamilla Kjærgaard Munk
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Tripti Tamhane
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Darya Trubach
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, National Cancer Institute Pascale Foundation – IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, National Cancer Institute Pascale Foundation – IRCCS, Napoli, Italy
| | - Anne Ortved Gang
- Department of Hematology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sine Reker Hadrup
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Sunil Kumar Saini
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark,*Correspondence: Sunil Kumar Saini,
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11
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Nogimori T, Suzuki K, Masuta Y, Washizaki A, Yagoto M, Ikeda M, Katayama Y, Kanda H, Takada M, Minami S, Kobayashi T, Takahama S, Yoshioka Y, Yamamoto T. Functional changes in cytotoxic CD8+ T-cell cross-reactivity against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant after mRNA vaccination. Front Immunol 2023; 13:1081047. [PMID: 36685601 PMCID: PMC9845949 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1081047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the T-cell responses involved in inhibiting COVID-19 severity is crucial for developing new therapeutic and vaccine strategies. Here, we characterized SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific CD8+ T cells in vaccinees longitudinally. The BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine can induce spike-specific CD8+ T cells cross-reacting to BA.1, whereas the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire usages decreased with time. Furthermore the mRNA vaccine induced spike-specific CD8+ T cells subpopulation expressing Granzyme A (GZMA), Granzyme B (GZMB) and Perforin simultaneously in healthy donors at 4 weeks after the second vaccination. The induced subpopulation was not maintained at 12 weeks after the second vaccination. Incorporating factors that efficiently induce CD8+ T cells with highly cytotoxic activity could improve future vaccine efficacy against such variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuto Nogimori
- Laboratory of Immunosenescence, Center for Vaccine and Adjuvant Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Osaka, Japan,Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Koichiro Suzuki
- The Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University (BIKEN), Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuji Masuta
- Laboratory of Immunosenescence, Center for Vaccine and Adjuvant Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Osaka, Japan,Laboratory of Aging and Immune Regulation, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ayaka Washizaki
- Laboratory of Immunosenescence, Center for Vaccine and Adjuvant Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Osaka, Japan,Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mika Yagoto
- Laboratory of Immunosenescence, Center for Vaccine and Adjuvant Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Osaka, Japan
| | - Mami Ikeda
- Laboratory of Immunosenescence, Center for Vaccine and Adjuvant Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuki Katayama
- Laboratory of Immunosenescence, Center for Vaccine and Adjuvant Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Osaka, Japan
| | | | - Minoru Takada
- KINSHUKAI, Hanwa The Second Senboku Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shohei Minami
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takeshi Kobayashi
- Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shokichi Takahama
- Laboratory of Immunosenescence, Center for Vaccine and Adjuvant Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Osaka, Japan,Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yasuo Yoshioka
- The Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University (BIKEN), Osaka, Japan,Vaccine Creation Group, BIKEN Innovative Vaccine Research Alliance Laboratories, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan,Laboratory of Nano-design for innovative drug development, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan,Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takuya Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Immunosenescence, Center for Vaccine and Adjuvant Research, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Osaka, Japan,Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan,Laboratory of Aging and Immune Regulation, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan,Department of Virology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan,Department of Virology and Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan,*Correspondence: Takuya Yamamoto,
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12
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Two-Year Follow-Up on Chemosensory Dysfunction and Adaptive Immune Response after Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in a Cohort of 44 Healthcare Workers. LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12101556. [PMID: 36294991 PMCID: PMC9605261 DOI: 10.3390/life12101556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Persistent chemosensory dysfunction (PCD) is a common symptom of long-COVID. Chemosensory dysfunction (CD) as well as SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody levels and CD8+ T-cell immunity were investigated in a cohort of 44 healthcare workers up to a median of 721 days after a positive PCR test. CD was assessed using questionnaires and psychophysical screening tests. After 721 days, 11 of 44 (25%) participants reported PCD, with five describing an impaired quality of life. One participant reported hyperosmia (increased sense of smell). The risk of PCD at 721 days was higher for participants reporting qualitative changes (parosmia (altered smell), dysgeusia (altered taste), or phantosmia (hallucination of smell)) during initial infection than in those with isolated quantitative losses during the first COVID-19 infection (62.5% vs. 7.1%). The main recovery rate occurred within the first 100 days and did not continue until follow-up at 2 years. No correlation was found between antibody levels and CD, but we observed a trend of a higher percentage of T-cell responders in participants with CD. In conclusion, a significant proportion of patients suffer from PCD and impaired quality of life 2 years after initial infection. Qualitative changes in smell or taste during COVID-19 pose a higher risk for PCD.
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13
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Mateyka LM, Strobl PM, Jarosch S, Scheu SJC, Busch DH, D'Ippolito E. Gene Signatures of T-Cell Activation Can Serve as Predictors of Functionality for SARS-CoV-2-Specific T-Cell Receptors. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10101617. [PMID: 36298482 PMCID: PMC9611811 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10101617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of T cells in controlling SARS-CoV-2 infections has been demonstrated widely, but insights into the quality of these responses are still limited due to technical challenges. Indeed, understanding the functionality of the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of a polyclonal antigen-specific population still requires the tedious work of T-cell cloning or TCR re-expression and subsequent characterization. In this work, we show that it is possible to discriminate highly functional and bystander TCRs based on gene signatures of T-cell activation induced by recent peptide stimulation. SARS-CoV-2-specific TCRs previously identified by cytokine release after peptide restimulation and subsequent single-cell RNA sequencing were re-expressed via CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene editing into a Jurkat-based reporter cell line system suitable for high-throughput screening. We could observe differences in SARS-CoV-2 epitope recognition as well as a wide range of functional avidities. By correlating these in vitro TCR engineered functional data with the transcriptomic profiles of the corresponding TCR-expressing parental T cells, we could validate that gene signatures of recent T-cell activation accurately identify and predict truly SARS-CoV-2-specific TCRs. In summary, this work paves the way for alternative approaches useful for the functional analysis of global antigen-specific TCR repertoires with largely improved throughput.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Mateyka
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Philipp M Strobl
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Jarosch
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian J C Scheu
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Dirk H Busch
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Elvira D'Ippolito
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
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14
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Mateyka LM, Grass V, Pichlmair A, Busch DH, D’Ippolito E. SARS-CoV-2 CD8 + T cell killing assays using replicating viruses and transgenic antigens. STAR Protoc 2022; 3:101699. [PMID: 36152303 PMCID: PMC9411149 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2022.101699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The quality of an antigen-specific CD8+ T cell repertoire is crucial for the clearance of intracellular pathogens, in particular for viral infections. Here, we describe killing assays to determine the function of CD8+ T cells engineered with SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell receptors in a near-physiological system for antigen presentation. We detail the use of target cells either infected with replicating SARS-CoV-2 virus or engineered with SARS-CoV-2 open reading frames. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Moosmann et al. (2022) and Wagner et al. (2022).
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M. Mateyka
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany,Corresponding author
| | - Vincent Grass
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Pichlmair
- Institute of Virology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Dirk H. Busch
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elvira D’Ippolito
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technical University of Munich (TUM), 81675 Munich, Germany,Corresponding author
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15
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Emmelot ME, Vos M, Boer MC, Rots NY, de Wit J, van Els CACM, Kaaijk P. Omicron BA.1 Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 Spike Lead to Reduced T-Cell Response in Vaccinated and Convalescent Individuals. Viruses 2022; 14:v14071570. [PMID: 35891550 PMCID: PMC9318964 DOI: 10.3390/v14071570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Omicron BA.1 variant can readily infect people with vaccine-induced or naturally acquired SARS-CoV-2 immunity facilitated by escape from neutralizing antibodies. In contrast, T-cell reactivity against the Omicron BA.1 variant seems relatively well preserved. Here, we studied the preexisting T cells elicited by either vaccination with the mRNA-based BNT162b2 vaccine or by natural infection with ancestral SARS-CoV-2 for their cross-reactive potential to 20 selected CD4+ T-cell epitopes of spike-protein-harboring Omicron BA.1 mutations. Although the overall memory CD4+ T-cell responses primed by the ancestral spike protein was still preserved generally, we show here that there is also a clear loss of memory CD4+ T-cell cross-reactivity to immunodominant epitopes across the spike protein due to Omicron BA.1 mutations. Complete or partial loss of preexisting T-cell responsiveness was observed against 60% of 20 nonconserved CD4+ T-cell epitopes predicted to be presented by a broad set of common HLA class II alleles. Monitoring such mutations in circulating strains helps predict which virus variants may escape previously induced cellular immunity and could be of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten E. Emmelot
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands; (M.E.E.); (M.V.); (M.C.B.); (N.Y.R.); (J.d.W.); (C.A.C.M.v.E.)
| | - Martijn Vos
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands; (M.E.E.); (M.V.); (M.C.B.); (N.Y.R.); (J.d.W.); (C.A.C.M.v.E.)
| | - Mardi C. Boer
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands; (M.E.E.); (M.V.); (M.C.B.); (N.Y.R.); (J.d.W.); (C.A.C.M.v.E.)
| | - Nynke Y. Rots
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands; (M.E.E.); (M.V.); (M.C.B.); (N.Y.R.); (J.d.W.); (C.A.C.M.v.E.)
| | - Jelle de Wit
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands; (M.E.E.); (M.V.); (M.C.B.); (N.Y.R.); (J.d.W.); (C.A.C.M.v.E.)
| | - Cécile A. C. M. van Els
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands; (M.E.E.); (M.V.); (M.C.B.); (N.Y.R.); (J.d.W.); (C.A.C.M.v.E.)
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Patricia Kaaijk
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands; (M.E.E.); (M.V.); (M.C.B.); (N.Y.R.); (J.d.W.); (C.A.C.M.v.E.)
- Correspondence:
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16
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Antibody Responses after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Patients with Liver Diseases. Viruses 2022; 14:v14020207. [PMID: 35215801 PMCID: PMC8876976 DOI: 10.3390/v14020207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The novel mRNA-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 display encouraging safety and efficacy profiles. However, there is a paucity of data regarding their immunogenicity and safety in patients with liver diseases (PWLD), especially in those with cirrhosis. We prospectively assessed anti-SARS-CoV-2 S-spike IgG antibodies and neutralizing activity in fully vaccinated PWLD (n = 87) and controls (n = 40). Seroconversion rates were 97.4% (37/38) in cirrhotic PWLD, 87.8% (43/49) in non-cirrhotic PWLD and 100% (40/40) in controls. Adequate neutralizing activity was detected in 92.1% (35/38), 87.8% (43/49) and 100% (40/40) of cirrhotics, non-cirrhotics and controls, respectively. On multivariable analysis, immunosuppressive treatment was negatively correlated with anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers (coefficient (SE): −2.716 (0.634), p < 0.001) and neutralizing activity (coefficient (SE): −24.379 (4.582), p < 0.001), while age was negatively correlated only with neutralizing activity (coefficient (SE): −0.31(0.14), p = 0.028). A total of 52 responder PWLD were reassessed approximately 3 months post-vaccination and no differences were detected in humoral responses between cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic PWLD. No significant side effects were noted post vaccination, while no symptomatic breakthrough infections were reported during a 6-month follow up. Overall, our study shows that m-RNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are safe and efficacious in PWLD. However, PWLD under immunosuppressive treatment and those of advanced age should probably be more closely monitored after vaccination.
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