2023-05-24 ミュンヘン大学(LMU)
◆研究では、ウイルス量と関連してT細胞の活性化が観察され、ウイルス核心に対するT細胞が感染制御に重要であることが明らかになった。これにより、ウイルス核心をターゲットにしたワクチンの開発が検討されるべきであり、他の呼吸器ウイルスにおいても効果的なワクチンを開発する可能性があるとされている。
<関連情報>
- https://www.lmu.de/en/newsroom/news-overview/news/covid-19-immune-cells-targeting-core-protein-are-important-for-early-immune-defense.html
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-38020-8
ヌクレオカプシド特異的T細胞応答が血清変換前の上気道におけるSARS-CoV-2の制御と関連することがわかった Nucleocapsid-specific T cell responses associate with control of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper airways before seroconversion
Tabea M. Eser,Olga Baranov,Manuel Huth,Mohammed I. M. Ahmed,Flora Deák,Kathrin Held,Luming Lin,Kami Pekayvaz,Alexander Leunig,Leo Nicolai,Georgios Pollakis,Marcus Buggert,David A. Price,Raquel Rubio-Acero,Jakob Reich,Philine Falk,Alissa Markgraf,Kerstin Puchinger,Noemi Castelletti,Laura Olbrich,Kanika Vanshylla,Florian Klein,Andreas Wieser,Jan Hasenauer,Inge Kroidl,Michael Hoelscher & Christof Geldmacher
Nature Communications Published:24 May 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38020-8
Abstract
Despite intensive research since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, it has remained unclear precisely which components of the early immune response protect against the development of severe COVID-19. Here, we perform a comprehensive immunogenetic and virologic analysis of nasopharyngeal and peripheral blood samples obtained during the acute phase of infection with SARS-CoV-2. We find that soluble and transcriptional markers of systemic inflammation peak during the first week after symptom onset and correlate directly with upper airways viral loads (UA-VLs), whereas the contemporaneous frequencies of circulating viral nucleocapsid (NC)-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells correlate inversely with various inflammatory markers and UA-VLs. In addition, we show that high frequencies of activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are present in acutely infected nasopharyngeal tissue, many of which express genes encoding various effector molecules, such as cytotoxic proteins and IFN-γ. The presence of IFNG mRNA-expressing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the infected epithelium is further linked with common patterns of gene expression among virus-susceptible target cells and better local control of SARS-CoV-2. Collectively, these results identify an immune correlate of protection against SARS-CoV-2, which could inform the development of more effective vaccines to combat the acute and chronic illnesses attributable to COVID-19.
