Early and strong antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 predict disease severity in COVID-19 patients
Abstract Background Antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 is a valuable biomarker for the assessment of the spread of the virus in a population and evaluation of the vaccine candidates. Recent data suggest that antibody levels also may have a prognostic significance in COVID-19. Most of the serological st...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Translational Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-022-03382-y |
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| author | Jānis Plūme Artis Galvanovskis Sindija Šmite Nadezhda Romanchikova Pawel Zayakin Aija Linē |
| author_facet | Jānis Plūme Artis Galvanovskis Sindija Šmite Nadezhda Romanchikova Pawel Zayakin Aija Linē |
| author_sort | Jānis Plūme |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 is a valuable biomarker for the assessment of the spread of the virus in a population and evaluation of the vaccine candidates. Recent data suggest that antibody levels also may have a prognostic significance in COVID-19. Most of the serological studies so far rely on testing antibodies against spike (S) or nucleocapsid (N) protein, however antibodies can be directed against other structural and nonstructural proteins of the virus, whereas their frequency, biological and clinical significance is unknown. Methods A novel antigen array comprising 30 SARS-CoV-2 antigens or their fragments was developed and used to examine IgG, IgA, IgE and IgM responses to SARS-CoV-2 in sera from 103 patients with COVID-19 including 34 patients for whom sequential samples were available, and 20 pre-pandemic healthy controls. Results Antibody responses to various antigens are highly correlated and the frequencies and peak levels of antibodies are higher in patients with severe/moderate disease than in those with mild disease. This finding supports the idea that antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 may exacerbate the severity of the disease via antibody-dependent enhancement. Moreover, early IgG and IgA responses to full length S protein may be used as an additional biomarker for the identification of patients who are at risk of developing severe disease. Importantly, this is the first study reporting that SARS-CoV-2 elicits IgE responses and their serum levels positively correlate with the severity of the disease thus suggesting a link between high levels of antibodies and mast cell activation. Conclusions This is the first study assessing the prevalence and dynamics IgG, IgA, IgE and IgM responses to multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens simultaneously. Results provide important insights into the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and have implications in planning and interpreting antibody-based epidemiological studies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T08:25:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-60ece1cc23a04b77bc77d1adba5e27f5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1479-5876 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T08:25:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Translational Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-60ece1cc23a04b77bc77d1adba5e27f52022-12-22T02:04:06ZengBMCJournal of Translational Medicine1479-58762022-04-0120111210.1186/s12967-022-03382-yEarly and strong antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 predict disease severity in COVID-19 patientsJānis Plūme0Artis Galvanovskis1Sindija Šmite2Nadezhda Romanchikova3Pawel Zayakin4Aija Linē5Cancer Biomarker Group, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreCancer Biomarker Group, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreCancer Biomarker Group, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreCancer Biomarker Group, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreCancer Biomarker Group, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreCancer Biomarker Group, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study CentreAbstract Background Antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 is a valuable biomarker for the assessment of the spread of the virus in a population and evaluation of the vaccine candidates. Recent data suggest that antibody levels also may have a prognostic significance in COVID-19. Most of the serological studies so far rely on testing antibodies against spike (S) or nucleocapsid (N) protein, however antibodies can be directed against other structural and nonstructural proteins of the virus, whereas their frequency, biological and clinical significance is unknown. Methods A novel antigen array comprising 30 SARS-CoV-2 antigens or their fragments was developed and used to examine IgG, IgA, IgE and IgM responses to SARS-CoV-2 in sera from 103 patients with COVID-19 including 34 patients for whom sequential samples were available, and 20 pre-pandemic healthy controls. Results Antibody responses to various antigens are highly correlated and the frequencies and peak levels of antibodies are higher in patients with severe/moderate disease than in those with mild disease. This finding supports the idea that antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 may exacerbate the severity of the disease via antibody-dependent enhancement. Moreover, early IgG and IgA responses to full length S protein may be used as an additional biomarker for the identification of patients who are at risk of developing severe disease. Importantly, this is the first study reporting that SARS-CoV-2 elicits IgE responses and their serum levels positively correlate with the severity of the disease thus suggesting a link between high levels of antibodies and mast cell activation. Conclusions This is the first study assessing the prevalence and dynamics IgG, IgA, IgE and IgM responses to multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens simultaneously. Results provide important insights into the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and have implications in planning and interpreting antibody-based epidemiological studies.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-022-03382-ySARS-CoV-2Antibody profileAntigen microarrayPrognosisIgGIgA |
| spellingShingle | Jānis Plūme Artis Galvanovskis Sindija Šmite Nadezhda Romanchikova Pawel Zayakin Aija Linē Early and strong antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 predict disease severity in COVID-19 patients Journal of Translational Medicine SARS-CoV-2 Antibody profile Antigen microarray Prognosis IgG IgA |
| title | Early and strong antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 predict disease severity in COVID-19 patients |
| title_full | Early and strong antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 predict disease severity in COVID-19 patients |
| title_fullStr | Early and strong antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 predict disease severity in COVID-19 patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Early and strong antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 predict disease severity in COVID-19 patients |
| title_short | Early and strong antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 predict disease severity in COVID-19 patients |
| title_sort | early and strong antibody responses to sars cov 2 predict disease severity in covid 19 patients |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 Antibody profile Antigen microarray Prognosis IgG IgA |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-022-03382-y |
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