Version 1
: Received: 6 September 2023 / Approved: 7 September 2023 / Online: 7 September 2023 (10:45:47 CEST)
How to cite:
Gupta, D.L.; Rao, D. Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Their Impact on Immune Evasion and Vaccine-Induced Immunity. Preprints2023, 2023090507. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202309.0507.v1
Gupta, D.L.; Rao, D. Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Their Impact on Immune Evasion and Vaccine-Induced Immunity. Preprints 2023, 2023090507. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202309.0507.v1
Gupta, D.L.; Rao, D. Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Their Impact on Immune Evasion and Vaccine-Induced Immunity. Preprints2023, 2023090507. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202309.0507.v1
APA Style
Gupta, D.L., & Rao, D. (2023). Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Their Impact on Immune Evasion and Vaccine-Induced Immunity. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202309.0507.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Gupta, D.L. and DN Rao. 2023 "Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Their Impact on Immune Evasion and Vaccine-Induced Immunity" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202309.0507.v1
Abstract
The newly emerged variants of SARS-CoV-2 created a potential threat among societies and highlighted one of the significant concerns in facing the pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 variants harboring mutations in the structural protein, especially in the RBD domain of spike protein, have raised concern about potential immune escape. The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 play a vital role in infection and is an important target for neutralizing antibodies. The mutations that occur in the structural proteins, especially in the spike protein, lead to changes in the virus attributes of transmissibility, an increase in disease severity, a notable reduction in neutralizing antibodies generated, and thus a decreased response to vaccines and therapy. The immune response against SARS-CoV-2 has been reported mainly through innate immune responses rather than adaptive immune responses. SARS-CoV-2 invades the host's innate immunity, possibly through inducing cytokine storm, impairing type I IFN responses, and suppressing antigens presentation to T cells. Therefore, the adaptive immune response is required to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection. The SARS-CoV-2 infections activated both arms of adaptive immunity; humoral and cell-mediated immunity. The observed multiple mutations in the RBD domain of the spike protein compromised the adaptive immune response and showed immune escape because it increases the affinity of spike protein binding with the ACE-2 receptor of host cells and increases resistance to neutralizing antibodies. Cytotoxic T-cell responses are crucial in controlling SARS-CoV-2 infections from the infected tissues and clearing them from circulation. CD8+cytotoxic T cells identify and directly kill the infected cells by releasing soluble mediators perforin and granzymes. The functional exhaustion of cytotoxic T cells may increase the severity of the disease. The expression of activation markers of T cells could indicate hyperactivation or functional exhaustion; the exact implication is not yet understood in SARS-CoV-2 infections. These mutations at critical residues influence the antigenic profile of SARS-CoV-2, which may evade the immune responses and thus reduce the immunogenicity and efficacy of vaccines. Therefore, the spike protein may be recognized as a primary target for vaccines and drugs. This review article summarizes the impact of mutations in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, especially mutations of RBD, on immunogenicity, immune escape, and vaccine-induced immunity, which could potentially contribute to future studies focusing on vaccine design and immunotherapy.
Biology and Life Sciences, Immunology and Microbiology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
