TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing anti-SARS-CoV-2 cellular immunity in 571 vaccines by using an IFN-γ release assay
AU - Wakui, Masatoshi
AU - Uwamino, Yoshifumi
AU - Yatabe, Yoko
AU - Nakagawa, Terumichi
AU - Sakai, Akiko
AU - Kurafuji, Toshinobu
AU - Shibata, Ayako
AU - Tomita, Yukari
AU - Noguchi, Masayo
AU - Tanabe, Akiko
AU - Arai, Tomoko
AU - Ohno, Akemi
AU - Yokota, Hiromitsu
AU - Uno, Shunsuke
AU - Yamasawa, Wakako
AU - Sato, Yasunori
AU - Ikeda, Mari
AU - Yoshimura, Akihiko
AU - Hasegawa, Naoki
AU - Saya, Hideyuki
AU - Murata, Mitsuru
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Research Funds of the Keio University School of Medicine and Grant from Public Foundation of the Vaccination Research Center, Japan (to Y.U. and M.W.). We thank the staff of Keio University Shinanomachi Campus for participating in the present study.
Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Research Funds of the Keio University School of Medicine and Grant from Public Foundation of the Vaccination Research Center, Japan (to Y.U. and M.W.). We thank the staff of Keio University Shinanomachi Campus for participating in the present study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Memory T cell responses have been analyzed only in small cohorts of COVID-19 vaccines. Herein, we aimed to assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 cellular immunity in a large cohort using QuantiFERON assays, which are IFN-γ release assays (IGRAs) based on short-term whole blood culture. The study included 571 individuals receiving the viral spike (S) protein-expressing BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. QuantiFERON assays revealed antigen-specific IFN-γ production in most individuals 8 weeks after the second dose. Simultaneous flow cytometric assays to detect T cells expressing activation-induced markers (AIMs) performed for 28 randomly selected individuals provided data correlating with the QuantiFERON data. Simultaneous IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunospot and AIM assays for another subset of 31 individuals, based on short-term peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture, also indicated a correlation between IFN-γ production and AIM positivity. These observations indicated the acquisition of T cell memory responses and supported the usability of IGRAs to assess cellular immunity. The QuantiFERON results were weakly correlated with serum IgG titers against the receptor-binding domain of the S protein and were associated with pre-vaccination infection and adverse reactions after the second dose. The present study revealed cellular immunity after COVID-19 vaccination, providing insights into the effects and adverse reactions of vaccination.
AB - Memory T cell responses have been analyzed only in small cohorts of COVID-19 vaccines. Herein, we aimed to assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 cellular immunity in a large cohort using QuantiFERON assays, which are IFN-γ release assays (IGRAs) based on short-term whole blood culture. The study included 571 individuals receiving the viral spike (S) protein-expressing BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. QuantiFERON assays revealed antigen-specific IFN-γ production in most individuals 8 weeks after the second dose. Simultaneous flow cytometric assays to detect T cells expressing activation-induced markers (AIMs) performed for 28 randomly selected individuals provided data correlating with the QuantiFERON data. Simultaneous IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunospot and AIM assays for another subset of 31 individuals, based on short-term peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture, also indicated a correlation between IFN-γ production and AIM positivity. These observations indicated the acquisition of T cell memory responses and supported the usability of IGRAs to assess cellular immunity. The QuantiFERON results were weakly correlated with serum IgG titers against the receptor-binding domain of the S protein and were associated with pre-vaccination infection and adverse reactions after the second dose. The present study revealed cellular immunity after COVID-19 vaccination, providing insights into the effects and adverse reactions of vaccination.
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U2 - 10.1002/eji.202249794
DO - 10.1002/eji.202249794
M3 - Article
C2 - 36250411
AN - SCOPUS:85141350859
VL - 52
SP - 1961
EP - 1971
JO - European Journal of Immunology
JF - European Journal of Immunology
SN - 0014-2980
IS - 12
ER -