![]() ![]() They found that of the SARS-CoV-2 and “common cold” coronavirus fragments that were most similar (at least 67% genetic similarity) 57% showed cross-reactivity by memory T cells. They then tested them for cross-reactivity against a peptide pool from other coronaviruses. ![]() The researchers generated T cell lines from the memory cells that recognized SARS-CoV-2 fragments. These fragments might prove useful for COVID-19 vaccine trials and tracking memory T cells during infection. Of these, 40 were recognized by T cells from two or more donors. The team narrowed the pools until they identified 142 fragments of the virus that interacted with the T cells-66 from the spike protein and 76 from non-spike regions. The team screened 474 SARS-CoV-2 peptides total. Cells that showed a response to a pool of peptides were then tested again against a pool of peptides spanning the spike protein (the part of the virus that latches onto human cells) or pools of 10 peptides each that spanned the non-spike regions of the virus. Each peptide consisted of 15 amino acids from SARS-CoV-2. The team first tested the volunteers’ T cells for responses against several pools of peptides-the short stretches of amino acids that make up proteins. The work was funded by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Alessandro Sette and Daniela Weiskopf at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology tested blood samples collected between March 2015 and March 2018 for T-cell responses against different pieces of SARS-CoV-2. To investigate further, a research team led by Drs. ![]() Previous studies have reported that 20–50% of people who hadn’t been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 showed T cell responses against different parts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This gives your immune system a head start in combating the disease. The next time you’re exposed to it, a memory cell is ready to fight the disease again. Once your body fends off a microbe, it retains some disease fighting cells as memory cells. T cells have a variety of functions, including killing infected cells and activating or recruiting other immune cells. B cells make antibodies, which neutralize the microbes, rendering them harmless. Your body’s disease defense system, the immune system, makes B and T cells when exposed to pathogens like viruses and bacteria. Why people’s COVID-19 symptoms vary so greatly isn’t fully understood. However, SARS-CoV-2 can cause serious illness and even death. Coronaviruses usually cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses, like the common cold. The virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, is part of a large family of coronaviruses. Previous infections by coronaviruses that cause colds may help account for the wide variety of responses people have to SARS-CoV-2. ![]()
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