Nucleocapsid-specific T cell responses associate with control of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper airways before seroconversion.
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Eser TM, Baranov O, Huth M, Ahmed MIM, Deák F, Held K, Lin L, Pekayvaz K, Leunig A, Nicolai L, Pollakis G, Buggert M, Price DA, Rubio-Acero R, Reich J, Falk P, Markgraf A, Puchinger K, Castelletti N, Olbrich L, Vanshylla K, Klein F, Wieser A, Hasenauer J, Kroidl I, Hoelscher M, Geldmacher C
Nat Commun 14 (1) 2952 [2023-05-24; online 2023-05-24]
Despite intensive research since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, it has remained unclear precisely which components of the early immune response protect against the development of severe COVID-19. Here, we perform a comprehensive immunogenetic and virologic analysis of nasopharyngeal and peripheral blood samples obtained during the acute phase of infection with SARS-CoV-2. We find that soluble and transcriptional markers of systemic inflammation peak during the first week after symptom onset and correlate directly with upper airways viral loads (UA-VLs), whereas the contemporaneous frequencies of circulating viral nucleocapsid (NC)-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells correlate inversely with various inflammatory markers and UA-VLs. In addition, we show that high frequencies of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are present in acutely infected nasopharyngeal tissue, many of which express genes encoding various effector molecules, such as cytotoxic proteins and IFN-γ. The presence of IFNG mRNA-expressing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the infected epithelium is further linked with common patterns of gene expression among virus-susceptible target cells and better local control of SARS-CoV-2. Collectively, these results identify an immune correlate of protection against SARS-CoV-2, which could inform the development of more effective vaccines to combat the acute and chronic illnesses attributable to COVID-19.
PubMed 37225706
DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-38020-8
Crossref 10.1038/s41467-023-38020-8
pmc: PMC10209201
pii: 10.1038/s41467-023-38020-8