Humoral and circulating follicular helper T cell responses in recovered patients with COVID-19

Abstract

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has dramatically expedited global vaccine development efforts^1,2,3, most targeting the viral ‘spike’ glycoprotein (S). S localizes on the virion surface and mediates recognition of cellular receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)^4,5,6. Eliciting neutralizing antibodies that block S–ACE2 interaction^7,8,9, or indirectly prevent membrane fusion¹⁰, constitute an attractive modality for vaccine-elicited protection¹¹. However, although prototypic S-based vaccines show promise in animal models^12,13,14, the immunogenic properties of S in humans are poorly resolved. In this study, we characterized humoral and circulating follicular helper T cell (cTFH) immunity...