Year: 2023
Type: editorial
Abstract: Editorial on the Research Topic SARS-CoV-2 variants, B lymphocytes, and autoreactivitySince its identification in 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has caused the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in over six 6 million deaths worldwide.Similar to other Coronaviruses, infections with SARS-CoV-2 progresses in a multistep manner that involves cleavage and rearrangement of the surface spike protein (S) that uses the receptor binding domain (RBD) to engage angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on target cells (1).The rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of variants of concern (VOC), such as the omicron (B.1.1.529)mutant, represent challenges for the immune system, with implications for designing potent vaccines and developing therapeutic antibodies.Articles in this Research Topic shine a light on the B cell responses mounted by the immune system to cope with infection to, and vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. Antigenic cartography and dynamic changesSARS-CoV-2 variants exhibit characteristic mutations in the S protein, including the RBD, which represents an immunodominant part of the S protein and is targeted by a large proportion of neutralizing antibodies (2, 3).Several S protein-based serological assays have been developed to profile the anti-SARS-CoV-2 humoral immune response and to analyze its dynamic changes, including ELISA assays, peptide microarrays, and antibody binding epitope mapping (Chen et al.).More recently, flow cytometric approaches have been introduced using cells expressing native S proteins in the same orientation and a glycosylation pattern similar to that found on the viral membrane.In this collection, Vesper et al. describe a flow cytometric assay that, in combination with a color-coded barcoding method, allow comparison of binding of S proteins or RBD mutants to soluble ACE2-Ig molecules, or antibodies of different classes in the sera of vaccinated or infected subjects.This new assay should be valuable for further evaluations of the humoral response to SARS CoV-2 variants.Understanding the mechanism underlying viral evasion from the immune response is important for designing effective vaccines and therapeutics.Thus, the Omicron variant Frontiers in Immunology frontiersin.
Source: Frontiers in Immunology
Authors: Marko Z. Radic, Moncef Zouali
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,295
Funder: China Medical University
OpenAlex ID: W4315432694