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Müller TR, Gao Y, Wu J, Ribeiro O, Chen P, Bergman P, Blennow O, Hansson L, Mielke S, Nowak P, Vesterbacka J, Akber M, Söderdahl G, Smith CIE, Loré K, Chen MS, Ljungman P, Ingelman-Sundberg HM, Ljunggren H, Österborg A, Sette A, Grifoni A, Aleman S, Buggert M
Cell Host Microbe - (-) - [2024-01-03; online 2024-01-03]
T cells are critical in mediating the early control of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) breakthrough infection. However, it remains unknown whether memory T cells can effectively cross-recognize new SARS-CoV-2 variants with a broad array of mutations, such as the emergent hypermutated BA.2.86 variant. Here, we report in two separate cohorts, including healthy controls and individuals with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, that SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells induced by prior infection or vaccination demonstrate resilient immune recognition of BA.2.86. In both cohorts, we found largely preserved SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell magnitudes against mutated spike epitopes of BA.2.86. Functional analysis confirmed that both cytokine expression and proliferative capacity of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific T cells to BA.2.86-mutated spike epitopes are similarly sustained. In summary, our findings indicate that memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells continue to provide cell-mediated immune recognition to highly mutated emerging variants such as BA.2.86.
Funder: KAW/SciLifeLab National COVID program
PubMed 38211584
DOI 10.1016/j.chom.2023.12.010
Crossref 10.1016/j.chom.2023.12.010
pii: S1931-3128(23)00505-X