Predicted Epitope Abundance Supports Vaccine-Induced Cytotoxic Protection Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern

Front Immunol. 2021 Nov 25:12:732693. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.732693. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

The effect of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants on vaccine efficacy is of critical importance. In this study, the potential impact of mutations that facilitate escape from the cytotoxic cellular immune response in these new virus variants for the 551 most abundant HLA class I alleles was analyzed. Computational prediction showed that most of these alleles, that cover >90% of the population, contain enough epitopes without escape mutations in the principal SARS-CoV-2 variants. These data suggest that the cytotoxic cellular immune protection elicited by vaccination is not greatly affected by emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Keywords: HLA; SARS-CoV-2; T cell epitope; epidemic; escape mutant; vaccine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • COVID-19 / immunology*
  • COVID-19 / prevention & control
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • COVID-19 Vaccines / immunology*
  • Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / immunology*
  • Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / metabolism
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / immunology*
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / metabolism
  • Female
  • Genes, MHC Class I / genetics
  • Genes, MHC Class I / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunogenicity, Vaccine / immunology
  • Mutation
  • SARS-CoV-2 / genetics
  • SARS-CoV-2 / immunology*
  • SARS-CoV-2 / physiology
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes / virology
  • Vaccination
  • Vaccine Efficacy

Substances

  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus

Supplementary concepts

  • SARS-CoV-2 variants