Recent studies have shown that vaccinated individuals harbor T cells that can cross-recognize SARS-CoV-2 and endemic human common cold coronaviruses. However, it is still unknown whether CD4 + T cells from vaccinated individuals recognize peptides from bat coronaviruses that may have the potential of causing future pandemics. In this study, we identified a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein epitope (S 815-827 ) that is conserved in coronaviruses from different genera and subgenera, including SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, multiple bat coronaviruses, and a feline coronavirus. Our results showed that S 815-827 was recognized by 42% of vaccinated participants in our study who received the Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) or Moderna (mRNA-1273) COVID-19 vaccines. Using T cell expansion and T cell receptor sequencing assays, we demonstrated that S 815-827 -reactive CD4 + T cells from the majority of responders cross-recognized homologous peptides from at least 6 other diverse coronaviruses. Our results support the hypothesis that the current mRNA vaccines elicit T cell responses that can cross-recognize bat coronaviruses and thus might induce some protection against potential zoonotic outbreaks. Furthermore, our data provide important insights that inform the development of T cell–based pan-coronavirus vaccine strategies.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Adaptive immunity, 【초록키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Coronaviruses, Vaccine, coronavirus, SARS-CoV, mRNA vaccine, mRNA-1273, Sequencing, peptide, CD4, MERS-CoV, BNT162b2, Outbreaks, T cell, COVID-19 vaccines, zoonotic, SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, Pandemics, Responder, homologous, epitope, T cell receptor, Pfizer-BioNTech, T cell response, Moderna, Endemic, Hypothesis, bat coronaviruses, Support, participant, common cold Coronaviruses, vaccinated individual, recent, shown, conserved, assays, coronavirus, majority, recognize, demonstrated, elicit, induce, bat coronavirus, 【제목키워드】 mRNA vaccine, CD4, T cell, epitope, recipient, conserved, coronavirus, recognize,