Antibody affinity maturation and plasma IgA associate with clinical outcome in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Nat Commun. 2021 Feb 22;12(1):1221. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-21463-2.

Abstract

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients often present with a large spectrum of clinical symptoms. There is a critical need to better understand the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 that lead to either resolution or exacerbation of the clinical disease. Here, we examine longitudinal plasma samples from hospitalized COVID-19 patients with differential clinical outcome. We perform immune-repertoire analysis including cytokine, hACE2-receptor inhibition, neutralization titers, antibody epitope repertoire, antibody kinetics, antibody isotype and antibody affinity maturation against the SARS-CoV-2 prefusion spike protein. Fatal cases demonstrate high plasma levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNFα, and MCP-1, and sustained high percentage of IgA-binding antibodies to prefusion spike compared with non-ICU survivors. Disease resolution in non-ICU and ICU patients associates with antibody binding to the receptor binding motif and fusion peptide, and antibody affinity maturation to SARS-CoV-2 prefusion spike protein. Here, we provide insight into the immune parameters associated with clinical disease severity and disease-resolution outcome in hospitalized patients that could inform development of vaccine/therapeutics against COVID-19.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 / immunology
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 / metabolism
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / blood
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / immunology*
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology*
  • Antibody Affinity / immunology*
  • COVID-19 / blood
  • COVID-19 / immunology*
  • COVID-19 / virology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Cytokines / blood
  • Cytokines / immunology
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Epitopes / immunology
  • Female
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin A / blood
  • Immunoglobulin A / immunology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neutralization Tests
  • SARS-CoV-2 / immunology*
  • SARS-CoV-2 / metabolism
  • SARS-CoV-2 / physiology
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus / immunology
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Cytokines
  • Epitopes
  • Immunoglobulin A
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
  • spike protein, SARS-CoV-2
  • ACE2 protein, human
  • Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2