Tfh cells and the germinal center are required for memory B cell formation & humoral immunity after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination

• DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100845
• Publication Date: 2022-11-16T05:02:27Z
• Authors: William S. Foster; Jia Le Lee; Nazia Thakur; Joseph Newman; Alexandra J. Spencer; Sophie Davies; Danielle Woods; Leila Godfrey; Iain M. Hay; Silvia Innocentin; Juan Carlos Yam-Puc; Emily C. Horner; Hayley J. Sharpe; James E. Thaventh...; Dalan Bailey; Teresa Lambe; Michelle A. Linte...
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; T Follicular Helper Cells; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination; Immunization, Secondary; COVID-19; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer; Germinal Center; Article; Immunity, Humoral; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Memory B Cells; ChAdOx1 nCoV-19; Humans

Emergence from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been facilitated by the rollout of effective vaccines. Successful vaccines generate high-affinity plasma blasts and long-lived protective memory B cells. Here, we show a requirement for T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and the germinal center reaction for optimal serum antibody and memory B cell formation after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination. We found that Tfh cells play an important role in expanding antigen-specific B cells while identifying Tfh-cell-dependent and -independent memory B cell subsets. Upon secondary vaccination, germinal center B cells generated during primary immunizations can be recalled as germinal center B cells again. Likewise, primary immunization GC-Tfh cells can be recalled as either Tfh or Th1 cells, highlighting the pluripotent nature of Tfh cell memory. This study demonstrates that ChAdOx1 nCoV-19-induced germinal centers are a critical source of humoral immunity.