tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
iScience
. 2026 Mar 2;29(4):115175.
doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115175. eCollection 2026 Apr 17.
HKU1 immune imprinting is associated with post-COVID symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection
Abdelilah Majdoubi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Christina Michalski[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Allison W Watts[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Xiaoqing Dang[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], S Amirhossein Golzan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Bahaa Abu-Raya[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Sirui Li[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jacob Shew[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Frederic Reicherz[SUP] 1 2 5 [/SUP], Louise C Mâsse[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP], Pascal M Lavoie[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
The long-term health burden of SARS-CoV-2 infections remains poorly understood. In a cohort from Vancouver, Canada, we identified immune imprinting to endemic β-human coronaviruses (HCoVs), reflected by affinity-matured IgG responses that cross-reacted with the SARS-CoV-2 spike with low affinity, along with an early expansion of memory B cells recognizing HKU1 and the conserved S2 domain following the first dose of ancestral-strain vaccination. Vaccination also enhanced antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), primarily directed against the HKU1 spike and SARS-CoV-2 S2 domains. In another cohort from the same region, higher HKU1 spike IgG levels and increased antibody-dependent complement deposition (ADCD) were associated with a greater likelihood of post-COVID symptoms, even though these individuals had experienced fewer SARS-CoV-2 infections at the one-year follow-up. Together, these findings suggest that β-HCoV-associated immune imprinting may simultaneously reduce infection risk and promote pathological Fc-mediated inflammation, potentially contributing to post-COVID conditions following infection with contemporary SARS-CoV-2 variants in individuals vaccinated against earlier strains.
Keywords: Health sciences; Immunology; Medicine; Virology.
. 2026 Mar 2;29(4):115175.
doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115175. eCollection 2026 Apr 17.
HKU1 immune imprinting is associated with post-COVID symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection
Abdelilah Majdoubi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Christina Michalski[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Allison W Watts[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Xiaoqing Dang[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], S Amirhossein Golzan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Bahaa Abu-Raya[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Sirui Li[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Jacob Shew[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Frederic Reicherz[SUP] 1 2 5 [/SUP], Louise C Mâsse[SUP] 1 6 [/SUP], Pascal M Lavoie[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 41869567
- PMCID: PMC12999348
- DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115175
The long-term health burden of SARS-CoV-2 infections remains poorly understood. In a cohort from Vancouver, Canada, we identified immune imprinting to endemic β-human coronaviruses (HCoVs), reflected by affinity-matured IgG responses that cross-reacted with the SARS-CoV-2 spike with low affinity, along with an early expansion of memory B cells recognizing HKU1 and the conserved S2 domain following the first dose of ancestral-strain vaccination. Vaccination also enhanced antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), primarily directed against the HKU1 spike and SARS-CoV-2 S2 domains. In another cohort from the same region, higher HKU1 spike IgG levels and increased antibody-dependent complement deposition (ADCD) were associated with a greater likelihood of post-COVID symptoms, even though these individuals had experienced fewer SARS-CoV-2 infections at the one-year follow-up. Together, these findings suggest that β-HCoV-associated immune imprinting may simultaneously reduce infection risk and promote pathological Fc-mediated inflammation, potentially contributing to post-COVID conditions following infection with contemporary SARS-CoV-2 variants in individuals vaccinated against earlier strains.
Keywords: Health sciences; Immunology; Medicine; Virology.