Robust T Cell Response Toward Spike, Membrane, and Nucleocapsid SARS-CoV-2 Proteins Is Not Associated with Recovery in Critical COVID-19 Patients.
Cell Rep Med
; 1(6): 100092, 2020 09 22.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32904468
ABSTRACT
T cell immunity toward SARS-CoV-2 spike (S-), membrane (M-), and nucleocapsid (N-) proteins may define COVID-19 severity. Therefore, we compare the SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cell responses in moderate, severe, and critical COVID-19 patients and unexposed donors. Overlapping peptide pools of all three proteins induce SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cell response with dominance of CD4+ over CD8+ T cells and demonstrate interindividual immunity against the three proteins. M-protein induces the highest frequencies of CD4+ T cells, suggesting its relevance for diagnosis and vaccination. The T cell response of critical COVID-19 patients is robust and comparable or even superior to non-critical patients. Virus clearance and COVID-19 survival are not associated with either SARS-CoV-2 T cell kinetics or magnitude of T cell responses, respectively. Thus, our data do not support the hypothesis of insufficient SARS-CoV-2-reactive immunity in critical COVID-19. Conversely, it indicates that activation of differentiated memory effector T cells could cause hyperreactivity and immunopathogenesis in critical patients.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
T-Lymphocytes
/
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
/
Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins
/
Coronavirus M Proteins
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
En
Journal:
Cell Rep Med
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Alemania