Linear epitope landscapes of SARS-CoV-2 spike variants constructed from a Chinese adult cohort during pandemic
Description
The evolving SARS-CoV-2 necessitates understanding viral immune evasion and updating prevention strategies. This study analyzed plasma IgG responses to spike proteins/peptides from the prototype strain (PS) and variants in vaccinated Chinese adults with Omicron BA.5 breakthrough infections. Four factors significantly affected anti-spike IgG levels: booster vaccination, time post-vaccination, breakthrough infections, and variant type. BA.5 infections mainly reactivated PS-reactive IgG, while reducing recall of pre-Omicron and pre-BA.5 epitopes (imprinting effects). Two conserved linear epitopes were identified, while post-Omicron variants (notably JN.1) exhibited substantially reduced IgG binding reactivity. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining high anti-spike IgG levels and provide reference for future vaccine antigen updates.
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Institutions
- Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyHubei, Wuhan