Rapid Hypermutation B Cell Trajectory Recruits Previously Primed B Cells Upon Third SARS-Cov-2 mRNA Vaccination

• DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.876306
• Publication Date: 2022-05-09T10:03:11Z
• Authors: Lisa Paschold; Bianca Klee; Cornelia Gottschick; Edith Willscher; Sophie Diexer; Christoph Schultheiß; Donjete Simnica; Daniel Sedding; Matthias Girndt; Michael Gekle; Rafael Mikolajczyk; Mascha Binder
• Keywords: Affinity maturation

The COVID-19 pandemic shows that vaccination strategies building on an ancestral viral strain need to be optimized for the control of potentially emerging variants. Therefore, aiming at strong B cell somatic hypermutation increase antibody affinity - not only high titers is a priority when utilizing vaccines are targeted individual variants since may offer some flexibility compensate strain-individual mutations. Here, we developed next-generation sequencing based SARS-CoV-2 tracking protocol rapidly determine level immunoglobulin distinct points during immunization period. percentage somatically hypermutated cells in specific repertoire was low after primary series, evolved further over months and increased steeply boosting. third mobilized naïve, but also antigen-experienced clones into rapid trajectories indicating affinity. Together, strongly mutated post-booster repertoires antibodies deriving from this explain why third, offers protection against immune-escape such as Omicron B.1.1.529.