Promotion of neutralizing antibody-independent immunity to wild-type and SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern using an RBD-Nucleocapsid fusion protein.

ABSTRACT: Both T cells and B cells have been shown to be generated after infection with SARS-CoV-2 yet protocols or experimental models to study one or the other are less common. Here, we generate a chimeric protein (SpiN) that comprises the receptor binding domain (RBD) from Spike (S) and the nucleocapsid (N) antigens from SARS-CoV-2. Memory CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells specific for SpiN could be detected in the blood of both individuals vaccinated with Coronavac SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and COVID-19 convalescent donors. In mice, SpiN elicited a strong IFN-γ response by T cells and high levels of antibodies to the inactivated virus, but not detectable neutralizing antibodies (nAbs). Importantly, immunization of Syrian hamsters and the human Angiotensin Convertase Enzyme-2-transgenic (K18-A

SUBMITTER: Castro JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9382605 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature