Abstract
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent for the disease COVID-19. To capture the IgA, IgG, and IgM antibody response of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 at individual epitope resolution, we constructed planar microarrays of 648 overlapping peptides that cover the four major structural proteins S(pike), N(ucleocapsid), M(embrane), and E(nvelope). The arrays were incubated with sera of 67 SARS-CoV-2 positive and 22 negative control samples. Specific responses to SARS-CoV-2 were detectable, and nine peptides were associated with a more severe course of the disease. A random forest model disclosed that antibody binding to 21 peptides, mostly localized in the S protein, was associated with higher neutralization values in cellular anti-SARS-CoV-2 assays. For antibodies addressing the N-terminus of M, or peptides close to the fusion region of S, protective effects were proven by antibody depletion and neutralization assays. The study pinpoints unusual viral binding epitopes that might be suited as vaccine candidates .
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS CoV-2; immunoassays; machine learning; neutralizing antibodies; peptide arrays; serology.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS CoV-2, Neutralizing antibodies, machine learning, Serology., immunoassays, peptide arrays, 【초록키워드】 SARS CoV-2, SARS-CoV-2, IgG, coronavirus, S protein, Neutralizing antibodies, serology, antibody, neutralization, peptide, coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, anti-SARS-CoV-2, immunoassays, Epitopes, Protective effects, Antibody binding, Viral, IgA, sera, response, Patient, peptides, Random forest, Microarray, vaccine candidate, structural proteins, Neutralizing, structural protein, epitope, protective effect, cellular, capture, causative agent, overlapping, IgM antibody, SARS CoV, vaccine candidates, random, positive, neutralization assays, Specific, N-terminus, Course, assays, detectable, the disease, nine, the S protein, incubated, binding epitope, infected with SARS-CoV-2, negative control samples, 【제목키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Microarray, Neutralizing, human antibody response,