Molecular Medicine (May 2021)

Possible inhibition of GM-CSF production by SARS-CoV-2 spike-based vaccines

  • Jianhua Li,
  • Ping Wang,
  • Kevin J. Tracey,
  • Haichao Wang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s10020-021-00313-3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 1
pp. 1 – 4

Abstract

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Abstract A SARS-like coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) that killed more than 3.3 million people worldwide. Like the SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2 also employs a receptor-binding motif (RBM) of its spike protein to bind a host receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), to gain entry. Currently, several mRNA or adenoviral vaccines encoding for the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 are being used to boost antibodies capable of inhibiting spike-ACE2 interaction and viral entry. However, recent evidence has also suggested an anti-inflammatory effect of spike-reactive antibodies, suggesting that some SARS-CoV-2 spike-based vaccines may elicit protective antibodies capable of inhibiting GM-CSF production and COVID-19 progression.

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