tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Front Immunol
. 2022 Mar 18;13:770982.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.770982. eCollection 2022.
Evaluation of Spike Protein Epitopes by Assessing the Dynamics of Humoral Immune Responses in Moderate COVID-19
Lingyun Chen[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Pengfei Pang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Huan Qi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Keqiang Yan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Yan Ren[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mingliang Ma[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Ruyin Cao[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hua Li[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Chuansheng Hu[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Yang Li[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jun Xia[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Danyun Lai[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yuliang Dong[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hewei Jiang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hainan Zhang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hong Shan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Shengce Tao[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Siqi Liu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The spike protein (S) of SARS-CoV-2 is a major target for diagnosis and vaccine development because of its essential role in viral infection and host immunity. Currently, time-dependent responses of humoral immune system against various S protein epitopes are poorly understood. In this study, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), peptide microarray, and antibody binding epitope mapping (AbMap) techniques were used to systematically analyze the dynamic changes of humoral immune responses against the S protein in a small cohort of moderate COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized for approximately two months after symptom onset. Recombinant truncated S proteins, target S peptides, and random peptides were used as antigens in the analyses. The assays demonstrated the dynamic IgM- and IgG recognition and reactivity against various S protein epitopes with patient-dependent patterns. Comprehensive analysis of epitope distribution along the spike gene sequence and spatial structure of the homotrimer S protein demonstrated that most IgM- and IgG-reactive peptides were clustered into similar genomic regions and were located at accessible domains. Seven S peptides were generally recognized by IgG antibodies derived from serum samples of all COVID-19 patients. The dynamic immune recognition signals from these seven S peptides were comparable to those of the entire S protein or truncated S1 protein. This suggested that the humoral immune system recognized few conserved S protein epitopes in most COVID-19 patients during the entire duration of humoral immune response after symptom onset. Furthermore, in this cohort, individual patients demonstrated stable immune recognition to certain S protein epitopes throughout their hospitalization period. Therefore, the dynamic characteristics of humoral immune responses to S protein have provided valuable information for accurate diagnosis and immunotherapy of COVID-19 patients.
Keywords: AbMap; COVID-19; ELISA; S protein; SARS-CoV-2; dynamics; epitope; microarray.
. 2022 Mar 18;13:770982.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.770982. eCollection 2022.
Evaluation of Spike Protein Epitopes by Assessing the Dynamics of Humoral Immune Responses in Moderate COVID-19
Lingyun Chen[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Pengfei Pang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Huan Qi[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Keqiang Yan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Yan Ren[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Mingliang Ma[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Ruyin Cao[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hua Li[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Chuansheng Hu[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Yang Li[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jun Xia[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Danyun Lai[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yuliang Dong[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Hewei Jiang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hainan Zhang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hong Shan[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Shengce Tao[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Siqi Liu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35371042
- PMCID: PMC8971992
- DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.770982
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The spike protein (S) of SARS-CoV-2 is a major target for diagnosis and vaccine development because of its essential role in viral infection and host immunity. Currently, time-dependent responses of humoral immune system against various S protein epitopes are poorly understood. In this study, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), peptide microarray, and antibody binding epitope mapping (AbMap) techniques were used to systematically analyze the dynamic changes of humoral immune responses against the S protein in a small cohort of moderate COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized for approximately two months after symptom onset. Recombinant truncated S proteins, target S peptides, and random peptides were used as antigens in the analyses. The assays demonstrated the dynamic IgM- and IgG recognition and reactivity against various S protein epitopes with patient-dependent patterns. Comprehensive analysis of epitope distribution along the spike gene sequence and spatial structure of the homotrimer S protein demonstrated that most IgM- and IgG-reactive peptides were clustered into similar genomic regions and were located at accessible domains. Seven S peptides were generally recognized by IgG antibodies derived from serum samples of all COVID-19 patients. The dynamic immune recognition signals from these seven S peptides were comparable to those of the entire S protein or truncated S1 protein. This suggested that the humoral immune system recognized few conserved S protein epitopes in most COVID-19 patients during the entire duration of humoral immune response after symptom onset. Furthermore, in this cohort, individual patients demonstrated stable immune recognition to certain S protein epitopes throughout their hospitalization period. Therefore, the dynamic characteristics of humoral immune responses to S protein have provided valuable information for accurate diagnosis and immunotherapy of COVID-19 patients.
Keywords: AbMap; COVID-19; ELISA; S protein; SARS-CoV-2; dynamics; epitope; microarray.