Si-M/"Der Simulierte Mensch," a Science Framework of Technische Universität Berlin and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt - Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Science. 2021 Oct 8;374(6564):eabh1823. doi: 10.1126/science.abh1823.
The functional relevance of preexisting cross-immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a subject of intense debate. Here, we show that human endemic coronavirus (HCoV)–reactive and SARS-CoV-2–cross-reactive CD4 T cells are ubiquitous but decrease with age. We identified a universal immunodominant coronavirus-specific spike peptide (S816-830) and demonstrate that preexisting spike- and S816-830–reactive T cells were recruited into immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and their frequency correlated with anti–SARS-CoV-2-S1-IgG antibodies. Spike–cross-reactive T cells were also activated after primary BNT162b2 COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccination and displayed kinetics similar to those of secondary immune responses. Our results highlight the functional contribution of preexisting spike–cross-reactive T cells in SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. Cross-reactive immunity may account for the unexpectedly rapid induction of immunity after primary SARS-CoV-2 immunization and the high rate of asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 disease courses.
先前存在的对严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）的交叉免疫的功能相关性是一个激烈争论的话题。在这里，我们表明，人类内源性冠状病毒（HCoV）反应性和 SARS-CoV-2 交叉反应性 CD4 T 细胞普遍存在，但随年龄增长而减少。我们鉴定了一种普遍的免疫优势冠状病毒特异性刺突肽（S816-830），并证明先前存在的刺突蛋白和 S816-830 反应性 T 细胞被募集到 SARS-CoV-2 感染的免疫反应中，其频率与抗 SARS-CoV-2-S1-IgG 抗体相关。刺突蛋白交叉反应性 T 细胞在初次 BNT162b2 COVID-19 信使 RNA 疫苗接种后也被激活，其动力学与二次免疫反应相似。我们的研究结果强调了先前存在的刺突蛋白交叉反应性 T 细胞在 SARS-CoV-2 感染和疫苗接种中的功能贡献。交叉反应性免疫可能解释了初次 SARS-CoV-2 免疫接种后免疫的快速诱导，以及无症状或轻度 COVID-19 疾病过程的高发生率。
