CD8+ T cells specific for conserved coronavirus epitopes correlate with milder disease in COVID-19 patients

A central feature of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is that some individuals become severely ill or die, whereas others have only a mild disease course or are asymptomatic. Here we report development of an improved multimeric alpha beta T cell staining reagent platform, with each maxi-ferritin spheromer displaying 12 peptideMHC complexes. Spheromers stain specific T cells more efficiently than peptide-MHC tetramers and capture a broader portion of the sequence repertoire for a given peptide-MHC. Analyzing the response in unexposed individuals, we find that T cells recognizing peptides conserved amongst coronaviruses are more abundant and tend to have a memory phenotype, compared to those unique to SARS-CoV-2. Significantly, CD8(+) T cells with these conserved specificities are much more abundant in COVID-19 patients with mild disease versus those with a more severe illness, suggesting a protective role.

Automated summary

The study suggests that CD8(+) T cells with conserved specificities are more abundant in COVID-19 patients with mild disease, indicating a potential protective role.