"Abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells, and their function is essential to configure adaptative immunity and avoid excessive inflammation... Here we evaluated human DCs in response to SARS-CoV-2 S protein, or to a fragment encompassing the receptor binding domain (RBD) challenge... Our results show that SARS-CoV-2 S protein promotes inflammatory response and provides molecular links between individual variations and the degree of response against this virus...
1. Introduction
... DCs interaction with SARS-CoV-2 S protein is extremely relevant considering the current wide use of S protein-based vaccination protocols...
4. Discussion
The binding of S protein to ACE2 is the main known mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 cell infection. According to this knowledge, currently available vaccines are primarily aimed to promote neutralizing antibodies production against S protein. While several of these vaccines have proved to avoid severe disease symptoms, evidence suggests that antibody production is insufficient for long-lasting immunity and that eliciting T cell-mediated immunity will be desired to boost vaccines’ efficacy. To this end, DCs must present antigens to naïve T cells in an MHC context. Nonetheless, information regarding the role of DCs in the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination context is still limited. Using an in vitro model, we analyzed the response of human iDCs to S protein and its RBD, and we found that both viral proteins activate DCs, with RBD triggering a strong proinflammatory response."
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