Go to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • All ...
  • Videos
  • Collections
    • Resource and Technical Advances
    • Clinical Medicine
    • Reviews
    • Editorials
    • Perspectives
    • Top read articles
  • JCI This Month
    • Current issue
    • Past issues

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • In-Press Preview
  • Editorials
  • Viewpoint
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Cross-reactivity of SARS-CoV-2– and influenza A–specific T cells in individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2
Worarat Chaisawangwong, … , Avi Z. Rosenberg, Jonathan P. Schneck
Worarat Chaisawangwong, … , Avi Z. Rosenberg, Jonathan P. Schneck
Published September 22, 2022
Citation Information: JCI Insight. 2022;7(18):e158308. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.158308.
View: Text | PDF
Research Article COVID-19 Immunology

Cross-reactivity of SARS-CoV-2– and influenza A–specific T cells in individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

Cross-reactive immunity between SARS-CoV-2 and other related coronaviruses has been well-documented, and it may play a role in preventing severe COVID-19. Epidemiological studies early in the pandemic showed a geographical association between high influenza vaccination rates and lower incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We, therefore, analyzed whether exposure to influenza A virus (IAV) antigens could influence the T cell repertoire in response to SARS-CoV-2, indicating a heterologous immune response between these 2 unrelated viruses. Using artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) combined with real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), we developed a sensitive assay to quickly screen for antigen-specific T cell responses and detected a significant correlation between responses to SARS-CoV-2 epitopes and IAV dominant epitope (M158–66). Further analysis showed that some COVID-19 convalescent donors exhibited both T cell receptor (TCR) specificity and functional cytokine responses to multiple SARS-CoV-2 epitopes and M158–66. Utilizing an aAPC-based stimulation/expansion assay, we detected cross-reactive T cells with specificity to SARS-CoV-2 and IAV. In addition, TCR sequencing of the cross-reactive and IAV-specific T cells revealed similarities between the TCR repertoires of the two populations. These results indicate that heterologous immunity shaped by our exposure to other unrelated endemic viruses may affect our immune response to novel viruses such as SARS-CoV-2.

Authors

Worarat Chaisawangwong, Hanzhi Wang, Theodore Kouo, Sebastian F. Salathe, Ariel Isser, Joan Glick Bieler, Maya L. Zhang, Natalie K. Livingston, Shuyi Li, Joseph J. Horowitz, Ron E. Samet, Israel Zyskind, Avi Z. Rosenberg, Jonathan P. Schneck

×

Figure 2

Correlation between CD8 T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 and M1 but not to nonspecific activation with αCD3/αCD28.

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint
Correlation between CD8 T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 and M1 but not to...
(A) Correlation between SARS-CoV-2 and M1 in all 33 donors. Scatter plots comparing IFNG fold change after stimulation with pooled 6 SARS-CoV-2 aAPCs and M1 aAPCs. (B) Correlation between SARS-CoV-2 and M1 persisted longitudinally in 12 donors. Scatter plots comparing IFNG fold change after stimulation with SARS-CoV-2 aAPCs and M1 aAPCs at the first visit 7 days after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (left) and the second visit 7 weeks later (right). (C) Scatter plots comparing IFNG fold change after stimulation with SARS-CoV-2 aAPCs and M1 aAPCs (left) as well as αCD3/αCD28 aAPCs (right) (n = 5, healthy donors [triangles]; n = 2, convalescent individuals [circles]; n = 4, vaccinated individuals [black squares]). Two-sided Spearman’s rank correlation was used to test for significance. Calculated P and r values (correlation coefficient) are indicated.

Copyright © 2023 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN 2379-3708

Sign up for email alerts