SARS-CoV-2 Spike- and Nucleoprotein-Specific Antibodies Induced After Vaccination or Infection Promote Classical Complement Activation

Bibliographic Details
Title: SARS-CoV-2 Spike- and Nucleoprotein-Specific Antibodies Induced After Vaccination or Infection Promote Classical Complement Activation
Authors: Rachel E. Lamerton, Edith Marcial-Juarez, Sian E. Faustini, Marisol Perez-Toledo, Margaret Goodall, Siân E. Jossi, Maddy L. Newby, Iain Chapple, Thomas Dietrich, Tonny Veenith, Adrian M. Shields, Lorraine Harper, Ian R. Henderson, Julie Rayes, David C. Wraith, Steve P. Watson, Max Crispin, Mark T. Drayson, Alex G. Richter, Adam F. Cunningham
Source: Frontiers in Immunology, Vol 13 (2022)
Publisher Information: Frontiers Media S.A., 2022.
Publication Year: 2022
Collection: LCC:Immunologic diseases. Allergy
Subject Terms: complement, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, vaccine, antibodies, Immunologic diseases. Allergy, RC581-607
More Details: Antibodies specific for the spike glycoprotein (S) and nucleocapsid (N) SARS-CoV-2 proteins are typically present during severe COVID-19, and induced to S after vaccination. The binding of viral antigens by antibody can initiate the classical complement pathway. Since complement could play pathological or protective roles at distinct times during SARS-CoV-2 infection we determined levels of antibody-dependent complement activation along the complement cascade. Here, we used an ELISA assay to assess complement protein binding (C1q) and the deposition of C4b, C3b, and C5b to S and N antigens in the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 from different test groups: non-infected, single and double vaccinees, non-hospitalised convalescent (NHC) COVID-19 patients and convalescent hospitalised (ITU-CONV) COVID-19 patients. C1q binding correlates strongly with antibody responses, especially IgG1 levels. However, detection of downstream complement components, C4b, C3b and C5b shows some variability associated with the subject group from whom the sera were obtained. In the ITU-CONV, detection of C3b-C5b to S was observed consistently, but this was not the case in the NHC group. This is in contrast to responses to N, where median levels of complement deposition did not differ between the NHC and ITU-CONV groups. Moreover, for S but not N, downstream complement components were only detected in sera with higher IgG1 levels. Therefore, the classical pathway is activated by antibodies to multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens, but the downstream effects of this activation may differ depending the disease status of the subject and on the specific antigen targeted.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1664-3224
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.838780/full; https://doaj.org/toc/1664-3224
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.838780
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/e96e183f4c0140d195866a01fcba3220
Accession Number: edsdoj.96e183f4c0140d195866a01fcba3220
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:16643224
DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2022.838780
Published in:Frontiers in Immunology
Language:English