tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Immunol
. 2020 Sep 2;ji2000717.
doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000717. Online ahead of print.
Expansion of SARS-CoV-2-Specific Antibody-Secreting Cells and Generation of Neutralizing Antibodies in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Renata Varnaitė[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marina Garc?a[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hedvig Glans[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Kimia T Maleki[SUP] 1 [/SUP], John Tyler Sandberg[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Janne Tynell[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wanda Christ[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nina Lagerqvist[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hilmir Asgeirsson[SUP] 2 5 [/SUP], Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Gustaf Ahl?n[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Lars Frelin[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Matti S?llberg[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kim Blom[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jonas Klingstr?m[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Sara Gredmark-Russ[SUP] 7 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in late 2019 and has since become a global pandemic. Pathogen-specific Abs are typically a major predictor of protective immunity, yet human B cell and Ab responses during COVID-19 are not fully understood. In this study, we analyzed Ab-secreting cell and Ab responses in 20 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The patients exhibited typical symptoms of COVID-19 and presented with reduced lymphocyte numbers and increased T cell and B cell activation. Importantly, we detected an expansion of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein-specific Ab-secreting cells in all 20 COVID-19 patients using a multicolor FluoroSpot Assay. Out of the 20 patients, 16 had developed SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing Abs by the time of inclusion in the study. SARS-CoV-2-specific IgA, IgG, and IgM Ab levels positively correlated with SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing Ab titers, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2-specific Ab levels may reflect the titers of neutralizing Abs in COVID-19 patients during the acute phase of infection. Last, we showed that IL-6 and C-reactive protein serum concentrations were higher in patients who were hospitalized for longer, supporting the recent observations that IL-6 and C-reactive protein could be used as markers for COVID-19 severity. Altogether, this study constitutes a detailed description of clinical and immunological parameters in 20 COVID-19 patients, with a focus on B cell and Ab responses, and describes tools to study immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination.
. 2020 Sep 2;ji2000717.
doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000717. Online ahead of print.
Expansion of SARS-CoV-2-Specific Antibody-Secreting Cells and Generation of Neutralizing Antibodies in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Renata Varnaitė[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marina Garc?a[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Hedvig Glans[SUP] 2 3 [/SUP], Kimia T Maleki[SUP] 1 [/SUP], John Tyler Sandberg[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Janne Tynell[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wanda Christ[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nina Lagerqvist[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hilmir Asgeirsson[SUP] 2 5 [/SUP], Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren[SUP] 1 5 [/SUP], Gustaf Ahl?n[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Lars Frelin[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Matti S?llberg[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Kim Blom[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jonas Klingstr?m[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Sara Gredmark-Russ[SUP] 7 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 32878912
- DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000717
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in late 2019 and has since become a global pandemic. Pathogen-specific Abs are typically a major predictor of protective immunity, yet human B cell and Ab responses during COVID-19 are not fully understood. In this study, we analyzed Ab-secreting cell and Ab responses in 20 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The patients exhibited typical symptoms of COVID-19 and presented with reduced lymphocyte numbers and increased T cell and B cell activation. Importantly, we detected an expansion of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein-specific Ab-secreting cells in all 20 COVID-19 patients using a multicolor FluoroSpot Assay. Out of the 20 patients, 16 had developed SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing Abs by the time of inclusion in the study. SARS-CoV-2-specific IgA, IgG, and IgM Ab levels positively correlated with SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing Ab titers, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2-specific Ab levels may reflect the titers of neutralizing Abs in COVID-19 patients during the acute phase of infection. Last, we showed that IL-6 and C-reactive protein serum concentrations were higher in patients who were hospitalized for longer, supporting the recent observations that IL-6 and C-reactive protein could be used as markers for COVID-19 severity. Altogether, this study constitutes a detailed description of clinical and immunological parameters in 20 COVID-19 patients, with a focus on B cell and Ab responses, and describes tools to study immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination.