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Nat Commun
. 2023 Aug 11;14(1):4864.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40554-w. Elevated binding and functional antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in infants versus mothers
Caitlin I Stoddard 1 , Kevin Sung 2 , Zak A Yaffe 1 3 , Haidyn Weight 1 , Guillaume Beaudoin-Bussières 4 5 , Jared Galloway 2 , Soren Gantt 5 6 , Judith Adhiambo 7 , Emily R Begnel 8 , Ednah Ojee 7 , Jennifer Slyker 8 , Dalton Wamalwa 7 , John Kinuthia 8 9 , Andrés Finzi 4 5 , Frederick A Matsen 4th 2 10 , Dara A Lehman 11 12 , Julie Overbaugh 13 14
Affiliations
Infant antibody responses to viral infection can differ from those in adults. However, data on the specificity and function of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in infants, and direct comparisons between infants and adults are limited. Here, we characterize antibody binding and functionality against Wuhan-Hu-1 (B lineage) strain SARS-CoV-2 in convalescent plasma from 36 postpartum women and 14 of their infants infected with SARS-CoV-2 from a vaccine-naïve prospective cohort in Nairobi, Kenya. We find significantly higher antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 Spike, receptor binding domain and N-terminal domain, and Spike-expressing cell-surface staining levels in infants versus mothers. Plasma antibodies from mothers and infants bind to similar regions of the Spike S2 subunit, including the fusion peptide (FP) and stem helix-heptad repeat 2. However, infants display higher antibody levels and more consistent antibody escape pathways in the FP region compared to mothers. Finally, infants have significantly higher levels of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), though, surprisingly, Spike pseudovirus neutralization titers between infants and mothers are similar. These results suggest infants develop distinct SARS-CoV-2 binding and functional antibody activities and reveal age-related differences in humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection that could be relevant to protection and COVID-19 disease outcomes.
. 2023 Aug 11;14(1):4864.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40554-w. Elevated binding and functional antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in infants versus mothers
Caitlin I Stoddard 1 , Kevin Sung 2 , Zak A Yaffe 1 3 , Haidyn Weight 1 , Guillaume Beaudoin-Bussières 4 5 , Jared Galloway 2 , Soren Gantt 5 6 , Judith Adhiambo 7 , Emily R Begnel 8 , Ednah Ojee 7 , Jennifer Slyker 8 , Dalton Wamalwa 7 , John Kinuthia 8 9 , Andrés Finzi 4 5 , Frederick A Matsen 4th 2 10 , Dara A Lehman 11 12 , Julie Overbaugh 13 14
Affiliations
- PMID: 37567924
- DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40554-w
Infant antibody responses to viral infection can differ from those in adults. However, data on the specificity and function of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in infants, and direct comparisons between infants and adults are limited. Here, we characterize antibody binding and functionality against Wuhan-Hu-1 (B lineage) strain SARS-CoV-2 in convalescent plasma from 36 postpartum women and 14 of their infants infected with SARS-CoV-2 from a vaccine-naïve prospective cohort in Nairobi, Kenya. We find significantly higher antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 Spike, receptor binding domain and N-terminal domain, and Spike-expressing cell-surface staining levels in infants versus mothers. Plasma antibodies from mothers and infants bind to similar regions of the Spike S2 subunit, including the fusion peptide (FP) and stem helix-heptad repeat 2. However, infants display higher antibody levels and more consistent antibody escape pathways in the FP region compared to mothers. Finally, infants have significantly higher levels of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), though, surprisingly, Spike pseudovirus neutralization titers between infants and mothers are similar. These results suggest infants develop distinct SARS-CoV-2 binding and functional antibody activities and reveal age-related differences in humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection that could be relevant to protection and COVID-19 disease outcomes.