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. 2024 Jul 25;230(1):e30-e33.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiad603.

Deficient Generation of Spike-Specific Long-Lived Plasma Cells in the Bone Marrow After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection

Zahra R Tehrani  1 , Parham Habibzadeh  1 , Robin Flinko  1 , Hegang Chen  2 , Abdolrahim Abbasi  1 , Jean A Yared  3 , Stanca M Ciupe  4 , George K Lewis  1 , Mohammad M Sajadi  1   5
Affiliations

Deficient Generation of Spike-Specific Long-Lived Plasma Cells in the Bone Marrow After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection

Zahra R Tehrani et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Generation of a stable long-lived plasma cell (LLPC) population is the sine qua non of durable antibody responses after vaccination or infection. We studied 20 individuals with a prior coronavirus disease 2019 infection and characterized the antibody response using bone marrow aspiration and plasma samples. We noted deficient generation of spike-specific LLPCs in the bone marrow after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Furthermore, while the regression model explained 98% of the observed variance in anti-tetanus immunoglobulin G levels based on LLPC enzyme-linked immunospot assay, we were unable to fit the same model with anti-spike antibodies, again pointing to the lack of LLPC contribution to circulating anti-spike antibodies.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; humoral immunity; immunological memory; plasma cells.

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Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.

Figures

Graphical Abstract
Graphical Abstract
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Bone marrow cellular subsets and their contributions to circulating antibody levels. A, Bone marrow anti-spike– and anti-tetanus–secreting plasma cells were assessed using enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assays. A representative example shows ELISPOT findings for subset B in one of the studied individuals. B, C, Flow-sorted plasma cells were plated on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike trimer or tetanus toxoid plates; qualitative (based on presence or absence of antigen-specific plasma cells) (B) and quantitative (based on antigen-specific immunoglobulin [Ig] G–secreting cells: total IgG–secreting cells ratio) (C) results are shown (subset B, CD19+CD38hiCD138+; subset D, CD19−CD38hiCD138+). Fisher exact tests were used to compare qualitative results, and Mann-Whitney tests to compare quantitative results. **P = .005. Abbreviation: NS, not significant. D, Multivariable regression model plot showing the effect of changes in the percentages of tetanus-specific plasma cells in subsets B and D on circulating IgG levels
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