Cell - Targets of T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in humans with COVID-19 disease and unexposed individuals

[Gert van der Hoek]

Published:May 14, 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.015


Highlights

• Measuring immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is key for understanding COVID19 and vaccine development
• Epitope pools detect CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in 100 and 70% of convalescent COVID patients
• T cell responses are focused not only on spike but also on M, N and other ORFs
• T cell reactivity to SARS-CoV-2 epitopes is also detected in non-exposed individuals

Summary

Understanding adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is important for vaccine development, interpreting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis, and calibration of pandemic control measures.

Using HLA class I and II predicted peptide ‘megapools’, circulating SARS-CoV-2−specific CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cells were identified in ∼70% and 100% of COVID-19 convalescent patients, respectively. CD4⁺ T cell responses to spike, the main target of most vaccine efforts, were robust and correlated with the magnitude of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA titers. The M, spike and N proteins each accounted for 11-27% of the total CD4⁺ response, with additional responses commonly targeting nsp3, nsp4, ORF3a and ORF8, among others. For CD8⁺ T cells, spike and M were recognized, with at least eight SARS-CoV-2 ORFs targeted.

Importantly, we detected SARS-CoV-2−reactive CD4⁺ T cells in ∼40-60% of unexposed individuals, suggesting cross-reactive T cell recognition between circulating ‘common cold’ coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2.