tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Front Immunol
. 2022 Nov 25;13:1041185.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1041185. eCollection 2022.
SARS-CoV-2 epitopes inform future vaccination strategies
Areez Shafqat[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohamed H Omer[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Omar Ahmad[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mahnoor Niaz[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Humzah S Abdulkader[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Shameel Shafqat[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ali Hassan Mushtaq[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Abdullah Shaik[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ahmed N Elshaer[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Junaid Kashir[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Khaled Alkattan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ahmed Yaqinuddin[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
All currently approved COVID-19 vaccines utilize the spike protein as their immunogen. SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) contain mutations in the spike protein, enabling them to escape infection- and vaccination-induced immune responses to cause reinfection. New vaccines are hence being researched intensively. Studying SARS-CoV-2 epitopes is essential for vaccine design, as identifying targets of broadly neutralizing antibody responses and immunodominant T-cell epitopes reveal candidates for inclusion in next-generation COVID-19 vaccines. We summarize the major studies which have reported on SARS-CoV-2 antibody and T-cell epitopes thus far. These results suggest that a future of pan-coronavirus vaccines, which not only protect against SARS-CoV-2 but numerous other coronaviruses, may be possible. The T-cell epitopes of SARS-CoV-2 have gotten less attention than neutralizing antibody epitopes but may provide new strategies to control SARS-CoV-2 infection. T-cells target many SARS-CoV-2 antigens other than spike, recognizing numerous epitopes within these antigens, thereby limiting the chance of immune escape by VOCs that mainly possess spike protein mutations. Therefore, augmenting vaccination-induced T-cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 may provide adequate protection despite broad antibody escape by VOCs.
Keywords: COVID-19; T-cells; broadly neutralizing antibodies; epitopes; omicron.
. 2022 Nov 25;13:1041185.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1041185. eCollection 2022.
SARS-CoV-2 epitopes inform future vaccination strategies
Areez Shafqat[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohamed H Omer[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Omar Ahmad[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mahnoor Niaz[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Humzah S Abdulkader[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Shameel Shafqat[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Ali Hassan Mushtaq[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Abdullah Shaik[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ahmed N Elshaer[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Junaid Kashir[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Khaled Alkattan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ahmed Yaqinuddin[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 36505475
- PMCID: PMC9732895
- DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1041185
Abstract
All currently approved COVID-19 vaccines utilize the spike protein as their immunogen. SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) contain mutations in the spike protein, enabling them to escape infection- and vaccination-induced immune responses to cause reinfection. New vaccines are hence being researched intensively. Studying SARS-CoV-2 epitopes is essential for vaccine design, as identifying targets of broadly neutralizing antibody responses and immunodominant T-cell epitopes reveal candidates for inclusion in next-generation COVID-19 vaccines. We summarize the major studies which have reported on SARS-CoV-2 antibody and T-cell epitopes thus far. These results suggest that a future of pan-coronavirus vaccines, which not only protect against SARS-CoV-2 but numerous other coronaviruses, may be possible. The T-cell epitopes of SARS-CoV-2 have gotten less attention than neutralizing antibody epitopes but may provide new strategies to control SARS-CoV-2 infection. T-cells target many SARS-CoV-2 antigens other than spike, recognizing numerous epitopes within these antigens, thereby limiting the chance of immune escape by VOCs that mainly possess spike protein mutations. Therefore, augmenting vaccination-induced T-cell responses against SARS-CoV-2 may provide adequate protection despite broad antibody escape by VOCs.
Keywords: COVID-19; T-cells; broadly neutralizing antibodies; epitopes; omicron.