Enhanced and long-lasting SARS-CoV-2 immune memory in individuals with common cold coronavirus cross-reactive T cell immunity.

ABSTRACT: With the continuous emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants, long-lasting and broadly reactive cellular and humoral immunity is critical for durable protection from COVID-19. We investigated SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell immunity in relation to antibodies, infection outcome and disease severity and assessed its durability in a longitudinal cohort over a three-year time course. We identified pre-existing T cells reactive to the seasonal coronavirus (CoV) OC43 that cross-react with the conserved SARS-CoV-2 spike S_813-829 peptide. These cross-reactive T cells increased in frequency following SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination and correlated with enhanced spike-specific T cell responses and significantly reduced viral loads. Furthermore, our data revealed that CoV-cross-reactive T cell

SUBMITTER: Florian DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11968687 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature