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SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell memory with common TCRαβ motifs is established in unvaccinated children who seroconvert after infection

  • Louise C Rowntree
  • , Thi H O Nguyen
  • , Lukasz Kedzierski
  • , Melanie R Neeland
  • , Jan Petersen
  • , Jeremy Chase Crawford
  • , Lilith F Allen
  • , E Bridie Clemens
  • , Brendon Chua
  • , Hayley A McQuilten
  • , Anastasia A Minervina
  • , Mikhail V Pogorelyy
  • , Priyanka Chaurasia
  • , Hyon-Xhi Tan
  • , Adam K Wheatley
  • , Xiaoxiao Jia
  • , Fatima Amanat
  • , Florian Krammer
  • , E Kaitlynn Allen
  • , Sabrina Sonda
  • Katie L Flanagan, Jaycee Jumarang, Pia S Pannaraj, Paul V Licciardi, Stephen J Kent, Katherine A Bond, Deborah A Williamson, Jamie Rossjohn, Paul G Thomas, Shidan Tosif, Nigel W Crawford, Carolien E van de Sandt, Katherine Kedzierska*
*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

As the establishment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific T cell memory in children remains largely unexplored, we recruited convalescent COVID-19 children and adults to define their circulating memory SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells prior to vaccination. We analyzed epitope-specific T cells directly ex vivo using seven HLA class I and class II tetramers presenting SARS-CoV-2 epitopes, together with Spike-specific B cells. Unvaccinated children who seroconverted had comparable Spike-specific but lower ORF1a- and N-specific memory T cell responses compared with adults. This agreed with our TCR sequencing data showing reduced clonal expansion in children. A strong stem cell memory phenotype and common T cell receptor motifs were detected within tetramer-specific T cells in seroconverted children. Conversely, children who did not seroconvert had tetramer-specific T cells of predominantly naive phenotypes and diverse TCRαβ repertoires. Our study demonstrates the generation of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell memory with common TCRαβ motifs in unvaccinated seroconverted children after their first virus encounter.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1299-1315.e4
JournalImmunity
Volume55
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Jul 2022

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes
  • COVID-19
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Memory
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus

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