[PDF][PDF] Impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on the total CD4+ and CD8+ T cell reactivity in infected or vaccinated individuals

A Tarke, J Sidney, N Methot, ED Yu, Y Zhang… - Cell Reports …, 2021 - cell.com
A Tarke, J Sidney, N Methot, ED Yu, Y Zhang, JM Dan, B Goodwin, P Rubiro, A Sutherland…
Cell Reports Medicine, 2021cell.com
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with evidence of antibody escape highlight the
importance of addressing whether the total CD4+ and CD8+ T cell recognition is also
affected. Here, we compare SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells against the B.
1.1. 7, B. 1.351, P. 1, and CAL. 20C lineages in COVID-19 convalescents and in recipients of
the Moderna (mRNA-1273) or Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccines. The total
reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants is similar in terms of magnitude and frequency of …
Summary
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with evidence of antibody escape highlight the importance of addressing whether the total CD4+ and CD8+ T cell recognition is also affected. Here, we compare SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells against the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, P.1, and CAL.20C lineages in COVID-19 convalescents and in recipients of the Moderna (mRNA-1273) or Pfizer/BioNTech (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccines. The total reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants is similar in terms of magnitude and frequency of response, with decreases in the 10%–22% range observed in some assay/VOC combinations. A total of 7% and 3% of previously identified CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes, respectively, are affected by mutations in the various VOCs. Thus, the SARS-CoV-2 variants analyzed here do not significantly disrupt the total SARS-CoV-2 T cell reactivity; however, the decreases observed highlight the importance for active monitoring of T cell reactivity in the context of SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
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