T cells of the immune system target a “wide range of sites” on the novel coronavirus, not just the spike protein that makes it possible for host to enter, a new study suggests states that this may help the body to resist changes of the virus.
The study, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, evaluated T cells from 100 people who had contracted the SARS-CoV-2 infection and looked closely at the genetic order of the virus.
According to the scientists, including those from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) in the US, the study is the most detailed study to date on which proteins on the coronavirus stimulates the strongest responses from immune system “helper” CD4 + T cells. , and CD8 + T “kill” cells.
The findings showed that not all parts of the virus induce the same strong immune response in everyone.
Based on the analysis, the scientists said that T cells recognize dozens of targets of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that vary from person to person.
They stated that, on average, each study participant was able to identify approximately 17 CD8 + T cell targets and 19 CD4 + T cell targets.
Although earlier studies showed that the immune system suppresses a strong site-specific response to the viral protein “spike”, the scientists said that this region is not “as good at stimulating strong response from CD4 + helper T cells. “
However, without a strong CD4 + T cell response, the researchers believe that humans may be slow to elicit the kind of neutral immune response that quickly suppresses the virus.
“We are now armed with the knowledge of which parts of the virus are recognized by the immune system,” said study co-author Alessandro Sette of LJI.
The scientists are currently studying how T cells could fight various mutations of SARS-CoV-2 that have shown mutations in the spike protein.
By targeting many vulnerable sites on the spike protein, they said the immune system would be able to fight infection even if some sites on the virus change as a result changes.
“The immune response is broad enough to compensate for that,” said Alba Grifoni, another co – author of the study from LJI.