[HTML][HTML] SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans

JS Turner, W Kim, E Kalaidina, CW Goss, AM Rauseo… - Nature, 2021 - nature.com
JS Turner, W Kim, E Kalaidina, CW Goss, AM Rauseo, AJ Schmitz, L Hansen, A Haile…
Nature, 2021nature.com
Long-lived bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) are a persistent and essential source of
protective antibodies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 have
a substantially lower risk of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 8, 9, 10. Nonetheless, it has been
reported that levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 serum antibodies decrease rapidly in the first few
months after infection, raising concerns that long-lived BMPCs may not be generated and
humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 may be short-lived 11, 12, 13. Here we show that in …
Abstract
Long-lived bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) are a persistent and essential source of protective antibodies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 have a substantially lower risk of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 8, 9, 10. Nonetheless, it has been reported that levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 serum antibodies decrease rapidly in the first few months after infection, raising concerns that long-lived BMPCs may not be generated and humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 may be short-lived 11, 12, 13. Here we show that in convalescent individuals who had experienced mild SARS-CoV-2 infections (n= 77), levels of serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) antibodies declined rapidly in the first 4 months after infection and then more gradually over the following 7 months, remaining detectable at least 11 months after infection. Anti-S antibody titres correlated with the frequency of S-specific plasma cells in bone marrow aspirates from 18 individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 at 7 to 8 months after infection. S-specific BMPCs were not detected in aspirates from 11 healthy individuals with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We show that S-binding BMPCs are quiescent, which suggests that they are part of a stable compartment. Consistently, circulating resting memory B cells directed against SARS-CoV-2 S were detected in the convalescent individuals. Overall, our results indicate that mild infection with SARS-CoV-2 induces robust antigen-specific, long-lived humoral immune memory in humans.
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