Jones Hopkins University’s scientists found out that RNA vaccines based on the classic strain of Coronavirus SARS-COV-2 produce immune cells that recognize mutant strains of the virus. This is reported in the article published in Journal of Clinical Investigation. Briefly about the study describes the press release on MedicalXpress.
Vaccine causes the body to produce CD4 + T-lymphocytes (or T-helpers), which activate B-lymphocytes that recognize antigens – proteins on the surface of infected cells, including those affected by SARS-COV-2 viruses. The immature B cells activated by T-helpers become either plasma cells that produce antibodies or b-cells of memory that store antigen information to develop the response to an infection in the future.
In the case of SARS-COV-2, the antigen is a spike protein (S-protein), forming “spikes” on the surface of the virus. Vaccines with Pfizer-Biontech and ModernA virus RNA will present genetic sequences S-protein immune system of vaccinated person to recognize the spike protein and begin production of antibodies against SARS-COV-2.
Researchers analyzed blood samples of 30 healthy medical professionals and laboratory donors, who had not previously had positive results on SARS-COV-2, before and after two doses of vaccines. Selected CD4 + T cells were tested on various components of the original SARS-COV-2 strain, as well as three coronaviruses causing a cold. It turned out that vaccinated has developed a wide immune response to 23 peptide fragments of S-protein, only four of which were affected by mutations, as a result of which new strains in the UK appeared and South Africa. Thus, vaccines should provide protection even against mutant forms of coronavirus.
In addition, there was a response to a spike protein of one of the coronavirus HCOV-NL63 cold, which may be explained by the fact that it has many common areas with coronavirus protein.