Frontiers in Immunology (Mar 2024)

Profiling antibody epitopes induced by mRNA-1273 vaccination and boosters

  • Bethany Girard,
  • Elisabeth Baum-Jones,
  • Rebecca L. Best,
  • Thomas W. Campbell,
  • Jack Coupart,
  • Kyla Dangerfield,
  • Abhilash Dhal,
  • Michael Jhatro,
  • Brian Martinez,
  • Jack Reifert,
  • John Shon,
  • Minlu Zhang,
  • Rebecca Waitz,
  • Spyros Chalkias,
  • Darin K. Edwards,
  • Maha Maglinao,
  • Robert Paris,
  • Rolando Pajon

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1285278
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15

Abstract

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BackgroundCharacterizing the antibody epitope profiles of messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 can aid in elucidating the mechanisms underlying the antibody-mediated immune responses elicited by these vaccines.MethodsThis study investigated the distinct antibody epitopes toward the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein targeted after a two-dose primary series of mRNA-1273 followed by a booster dose of mRNA-1273 or a variant-updated vaccine among serum samples from clinical trial adult participants.ResultsMultiple S-specific epitopes were targeted after primary vaccination; while signal decreased over time, a booster dose after >6 months largely revived waning antibody signals. Epitope identity also changed after booster vaccination in some subjects, with four new S-specific epitopes detected with stronger signals after boosting than with primary vaccination. Notably, the strength of antibody responses after booster vaccination differed by the exact vaccine formulation, with variant-updated mRNA-1273.211 and mRNA-1273.617.2 booster formulations inducing significantly stronger S-specific signals than a mRNA-1273 booster.ConclusionOverall, these results identify key S-specific epitopes targeted by antibodies induced by mRNA-1273 primary and variant-updated booster vaccination.

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