Promiscuous class II-binding SARS-CoV-2-nuc derived vaccine-peptide induced extensive conventional, innate and unconventional T cell responses

Abstract: We describe the T-cell response of two healthy SARS-CoV-2-unexposed volunteers to a SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein-derived vaccine peptide predicted to promiscuously bind multiple HLA-DR allotypes. NGS-based bulk TCR-repertoire analysis of peptide-specific T-cell responses 4 (D2) and 27 (D1) weeks after vaccination identified CDR3 regions of TCRalpha, beta, gamma and delta chains in T cells responding ex-vivo to the vaccine peptide LLLLDRLLNQLESKMS with IFNgamma-secretion.