Multi-omics analysis of mucosal and systemic immunity to SARS-CoV-2 after birth
Selected publication · Cell, 2023
Wimmers F., Burrell A., Feng Y., Zheng H., Arunachalam P., Hu M., Spranger S., Nyhoff L., Joshi D., Trisal M., Awasthi M., Bellusci L., Ashraf U., Kowli S., Konvinse K., Yang E., Blanco M., Pellegrini K., Tharp G., Hagan T., Chinthrajah R., Nguyen T., Grifoni A., Sette A., Nadeau K., Haslam D., Bosinger S., Wrammert J., Maecker H., Utz P., Wang T., Khurana S., Khatri P., Staat M., Pulendran B.
| Disease area | Application area | Sample type | Products |
|---|---|---|---|
Infectious Diseases | Pathophysiology | Plasma Nasal Mucus Swabs |  Olink Target 96 |
Editor's note
Olink panels have been used extensively in COVID-19 research, and this study used the Olink Target 96 Inflammation panel as part of a comprehensive multiomics approach to compare the immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in children to those seen in adults. The proteomics data indicated that there is a distinct immune response in the plasma of infants and young children with COVID-19 that is characterized by negligible induction of pro-inflammatory mediators and a transient elevation in IFNα2 levels and chemokines.
Abstract
The dynamics of immunity to infection in infants remain obscure. Here, we used a multi-omics approach to perform a longitudinal analysis of immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in infants and young children by analyzing blood samples and weekly nasal swabs collected before, during, and after infection with Omicron and non-Omicron variants. Infection stimulated robust antibody titers that, unlike in adults, showed no sign of decay for up to 300 days. Infants mounted a robust mucosal immune response characterized by inflammatory cytokines, interferon (IFN) α, and T helper (Th) 17 and neutrophil markers (interleukin [IL]-17, IL-8, and CXCL1). The immune response in blood was characterized by upregulation of activation markers on innate cells, no inflammatory cytokines, but several chemokines and IFNα. The latter correlated with viral load and expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in myeloid cells measured by single-cell multi-omics. Together, these data provide a snapshot of immunity to infection during the initial weeks and months of life.