SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans.

1. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2020 Dec 31:rs.3.rs-132821. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-132821/v1.

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces long-lived bone marrow plasma cells in humans.

Turner JS(1), Kim W(1), Kalaidina E(2), Goss CW(3), Rauseo AM(4), Schmitz AJ(1), Hansen L(1)(5), Haile A(6), Klebert MK(6), Pusic I(7), O’Halloran JA(4), Presti RM(4), Ellebedy AH(1)(8).

Author information: (1)Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. (2)Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. (3)Division of Biostatistics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. (4)Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of lnternal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. (5)Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, 5021 Bergen, Norway. (6)Clinical Trials Unit, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. (7)Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. (8)The Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology & Immunotherapy Programs.

Update in Nature. 2021 Jul;595(7867):421-425. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03647-4.

Infection or vaccination induces a population of long-lived bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) that are a persistent and essential source of protective antibodies1-5. Whether this population is induced in patients infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unknown. Recent reports have suggested that SARS-CoV-2 convalescent patients experience a rapid decay in their antigen-specific serum antibodies, raising concerns that humoral immunity against this virus may be short-lived6-8. Here we show that in patients who experienced mild infections (n=73), serum anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) antibodies indeed decline rapidly in the first 3 to 4 months after infection. However, this is followed by a more stable phase between 4- and 8-months after infection with a slower serum anti-S antibody decay rate. The level of serum antibodies correlated with the frequency of S-specific long-lived BMPCs obtained from 18 SARS-CoV-2 convalescent patients 7 to 8 months after infection. S-specific BMPCs were not detected in aspirates from 11 healthy subjects with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Comparable frequencies of BMPCs specific to contemporary influenza virus antigens or tetanus and diphtheria vaccine antigens were present in aspirates in both groups. Circulating memory B cells (MBCs) directed against the S protein were detected in the SARS-CoV-2 convalescent patients but not in uninfected controls, whereas both groups had MBCs against influenza virus hemagglutinin. Overall, we show that robust antigen specific long-lived BMPCs and MBCs are induced after mild SARS-CoV-2 infection of humans.

DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-132821/v1 PMCID: PMC7781328 PMID: 33398264