Aging and Viral Evolution Impair Immunity Against Dominant Pan-Coronavirus-Reactive T Cell Epitope.

ABSTRACT: Immune evasion by escape mutations subverts immunity against SARS-CoV-2. A role of pan-coronavirus immunity for more durable protection is being discussed, but has remained understudied. We here investigated the effects of age, mutations, and homo-/heterologous vaccination regimens on the dominant pan-coronavirus-specific cellular and humoral epitope iCope after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in detail. In older individuals, the quantitatively and qualitatively reduced iCope-reactive CD4⁺ T cell responses with narrow TCR repertoires could not be enhanced by vaccination and were further compromised by emerging spike mutations. In contrast, pan-coronavirus-reactive humoral immunity was affected only by mutations and not by age. Our results reveal a distinct deficiency of the

SUBMITTER: Loyal L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12304627 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature