Cross-reactive Antibody Response between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV Infections
Huibin Lv,
Nicholas C. Wu,
Owen Tak-Yin Tsang,
Meng Yuan,
Ranawaka A.P.M. Perera,
Wai Shing Leung,
Ray T.Y. So,
Jacky Man Chun Chan,
Garrick K. Yip,
Thomas Shiu Hong Chik,
Yiquan Wang,
Chris Yau Chung Choi,
Yihan Lin,
Wilson W. Ng,
Jincun Zhao,
Leo L.M. Poon,
J.S. Malik Peiris,
Ian A. Wilson,
Chris K.P. Mok
Affiliations
Huibin Lv
HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Nicholas C. Wu
Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Owen Tak-Yin Tsang
Infectious Diseases Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hospital Authority of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Meng Yuan
Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Ranawaka A.P.M. Perera
School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Wai Shing Leung
Infectious Diseases Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hospital Authority of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Ray T.Y. So
HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Jacky Man Chun Chan
Infectious Diseases Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hospital Authority of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Garrick K. Yip
HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Thomas Shiu Hong Chik
Infectious Diseases Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hospital Authority of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Yiquan Wang
HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Chris Yau Chung Choi
Infectious Diseases Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hospital Authority of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Yihan Lin
HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Wilson W. Ng
HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Jincun Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
Leo L.M. Poon
HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
J.S. Malik Peiris
HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Corresponding author
Ian A. Wilson
Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Corresponding author
Chris K.P. Mok
HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Corresponding author
Summary: The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, which is caused by a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, a pandemic. There is currently a lack of knowledge about the antibody response elicited from SARS-CoV-2 infection. One major immunological question concerns antigenic differences between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. We address this question by analyzing plasma from patients infected by SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-CoV and from infected or immunized mice. Our results show that, although cross-reactivity in antibody binding to the spike protein is common, cross-neutralization of the live viruses may be rare, indicating the presence of a non-neutralizing antibody response to conserved epitopes in the spike. Whether such low or non-neutralizing antibody response leads to antibody-dependent disease enhancement needs to be addressed in the future. Overall, this study not only addresses a fundamental question regarding antigenicity differences between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV but also has implications for immunogen design and vaccine development.
