The pre-exposure SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell repertoire determines the quality of the immune response to vaccination.

ABSTRACT: SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination generates enormous host-response heterogeneity and an age-dependent loss of immune-response quality. How the pre-exposure T cell repertoire contributes to this heterogeneity is poorly understood. We combined analysis of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4⁺ T cells pre- and post-vaccination with longitudinal T cell receptor tracking. We identified strong pre-exposure T cell variability that correlated with subsequent immune-response quality and age. High-quality responses, defined by strong expansion of high-avidity spike-specific T cells, high interleukin-21 production, and specific immunoglobulin G, depended on an intact naive repertoire and exclusion of pre-existing memory T cells. In the elderly, T cell expansion from both compartments was severely co

SUBMITTER: Saggau C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9372089 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature