tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Biochem Biophys Res Commun
. 2021 Jan 22;543:45-49.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.01.073. Online ahead of print.
The Nucleocapsid protein triggers the main humoral immune response in COVID-19 patients
Veronique A J Smits[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Esperanza Hern?ndez-Carralero[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mar?a Cristina Paz-Cabrera[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elisa Cabrera[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yeray Hern?ndez-Reyes[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Juan Ram?n Hern?ndez-Fernaud[SUP] 2 [/SUP], David A Gillespie[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Eduardo Salido[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Miriam Hern?ndez-Porto[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Raimundo Freire[SUP] 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
In order to control the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, serious progress has been made to identify infected patients and to detect patients with a positive immune response against the virus. Currently, attempts to generate a vaccine against the coronavirus are ongoing. To understand SARS-CoV-2 immunoreactivity, we compared the IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 in infected versus control patients by dot blot using recombinant viral particle proteins: N (Nucleocapsid), M (Membrane) and S (Spike). In addition, we used different protein fragments of the N and S protein to map immune epitopes. Most of the COVID-19 patients presented a specific immune response against the full length and fragments of the N protein and, to lesser extent, against a fragment containing amino acids 300-685 of the S protein. In contrast, immunoreactivity against other S protein fragments or the M protein was low. This response is specific for COVID-19 patients as very few of the control patients displayed immunoreactivity, likely reflecting an immune response against other coronaviruses. Altogether, our results may help develop method(s) for measuring COVID-19 antibody response, selectivity of methods detecting such SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and vaccine development.
Keywords: COVID-19; Immunotest; Membrane protein; Nucleocapsid protein; SARS-CoV-2; Spike protein.
. 2021 Jan 22;543:45-49.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.01.073. Online ahead of print.
The Nucleocapsid protein triggers the main humoral immune response in COVID-19 patients
Veronique A J Smits[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Esperanza Hern?ndez-Carralero[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mar?a Cristina Paz-Cabrera[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Elisa Cabrera[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Yeray Hern?ndez-Reyes[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Juan Ram?n Hern?ndez-Fernaud[SUP] 2 [/SUP], David A Gillespie[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Eduardo Salido[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Miriam Hern?ndez-Porto[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Raimundo Freire[SUP] 6 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33515911
- DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.01.073
Abstract
In order to control the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, serious progress has been made to identify infected patients and to detect patients with a positive immune response against the virus. Currently, attempts to generate a vaccine against the coronavirus are ongoing. To understand SARS-CoV-2 immunoreactivity, we compared the IgG antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 in infected versus control patients by dot blot using recombinant viral particle proteins: N (Nucleocapsid), M (Membrane) and S (Spike). In addition, we used different protein fragments of the N and S protein to map immune epitopes. Most of the COVID-19 patients presented a specific immune response against the full length and fragments of the N protein and, to lesser extent, against a fragment containing amino acids 300-685 of the S protein. In contrast, immunoreactivity against other S protein fragments or the M protein was low. This response is specific for COVID-19 patients as very few of the control patients displayed immunoreactivity, likely reflecting an immune response against other coronaviruses. Altogether, our results may help develop method(s) for measuring COVID-19 antibody response, selectivity of methods detecting such SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and vaccine development.
Keywords: COVID-19; Immunotest; Membrane protein; Nucleocapsid protein; SARS-CoV-2; Spike protein.