Cross-reactive antibody responses to coronaviruses elicited by
SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination
Abstract
Background The newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 possesses shared antigenic
epitopes with other human coronaviruses. We investigated if COVID-19
vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection may boost cross-reactive antibodies
to other human coronaviruses. Methods Pre- and post-vaccination sera
from SARS-CoV-2 naïve healthy subjects who received three doses of the
mRNA vaccine (BioNTech, BNT) or the inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac, CV)
were used to monitor the level of cross-reactive antibodies raised
against other human coronaviruses by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
In comparison, convalescent sera from COVID-19 patients with or without
prior vaccination history were also tested. Pseudoparticle
neutralization assay was performed to detect neutralization antibody
against MERS-CoV. Results Among SARS-CoV-2 infection naïve subjects, BNT
or CV significantly increased the anti-S2 antibodies against
Betacoronaviruses (OC43 and MERS-CoV) but not Alphacoronaviruses (229E).
The pre-vaccination antibody response to the common cold human
coronaviruses did not negatively impact the post-vaccination antibody
response to SARS-CoV-2. Cross-reactive antibodies that binds to the S2
protein of MERS-CoV were similarly detected from the convalescent sera
of COVID-19 patients with or without vaccination history. However, these
anti-S2 antibodies do not possess neutralizing activity in MERS-CoV
pseudoparticle neutralisation tests. Conclusions Our results suggest
that SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination may potentially modulate
population immune landscape against previously exposed or novel human
coronaviruses. The findings have implications for future
sero-epidemiological studies on MERS-CoV.