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.
Keywords: COVID-19; S/M/N protein-reactive T cells; SARS-CoV-2; critical COVID-19; immunity; immunopathology; nucleocapsid; spike.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Immunity, spike, immunopathology, nucleocapsid, critical COVID-19, S/M/N protein-reactive T cells, 【초록키워드】 vaccination, T cells, COVID-19 severity, peptide, Diagnosis, Proteins, immunopathology, CD4, CD8, memory, Protein, T cell, survival, nucleocapsid, Immunopathogenesis, T cell responses, N protein, membrane, donors, Critical, moderate, patients, T cell response, SARS-CoV-2 spike, Hypothesis, Frequency, Support, Activation, virus clearance, critical patients, critical COVID-19 patients, clearance, dominance, Hyperreactivity, robust, highest, indicate, magnitude, induce, comparable, critical COVID-19 patient, effector T cell, peptide pool, 【제목키워드】 spike, T cell, response,