Cross-Reactivity in Virus Infection

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viral Immunology, Vaccines, and Antivirals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 13093

Special Issue Editors

Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
Interests: T cell immunology; TCR; HLA; MHC; viral immunology; cross-reactivity; transplantation; allorecognition; antigen processing and presentation
Viral and Structural Immunology lab, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
Interests: T cell; TCR; HLA; virus; peptide recognition and presentation; structural immunology; T cell activation and signalling; viral mutation and viral escape
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore 169857, Singapore
Interests: innate immunity; monocytes; host response; immunometabolism; systems biology; antibody; viral pathogenesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The adaptive immune response is controlled by highly specialised cells that have evolved to combat pathogenic assault. Two key players are B cells and T cells, with each displaying exquisite features of antigen specificity, clonality, memory formation and function. Here, B cells are primarily involved in humoral-mediated immunity via antibody production, whilst T cells are the cornerstone of cell-mediated immunity, targeting host cells displaying non-self-immunogenic epitopes. In the normal setting, this elegant defence system identifies and eliminates infected cells by invading or reactivating viruses and bacteria, as well as neoplastic cancer-forming cells. However, during events of immune dysregulation or breakdown of immune tolerance, self-reactive B cells and T cells can trigger the onset of a destructive immunopathology associated with autoimmunity and allergy.

The dichotomy of cellular immune protection versus destruction can also be augmented by a phenomena known as cross-reactivity. Both B cells and T cells intrinsically display cross-reactivity capabilities, necessitated by the limited diversity of unique human B cell receptor (BCR) and T cell receptor (TCR) clonotypes to maintain immunity against the tremendous diversity of human pathogens. This mechanism is central for cross-strain protection and is often a beneficial property of these cells, affording protection to mutant viral strains, preventing immune escape and aiding vaccine strategies. However, cross-reactivity can also drive detrimental effects through these cells recognising antigenic epitopes presented either by self or foreign molecules, thereby inducing or amplifying disease pathogenesis and immunopathology.

In this Special Issue, we aim to provide new insights into the immune-associated drivers and consequences of cross-reactivity in disease settings. We are accepting Original Research articles, Case Reports and Reviews. Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Cross-reactivity as a mechanism of immune tolerance breakdown/dysfunction;
  • Implications for disease pathogenesis and immunopathology triggered by cross-reactivity, including cell types and mediators;
  • Novel animal/human models of cross-reactivity;
  • Harnessing protective cross-reactivity for rational drug design, immunotherapeutics or vaccine development;
  • Advancing the understanding of B- and T-cell correlates of protection for vaccine development;
  • Application of novel technologies (e.g., single-cell analysis) for the identification and characterisation of cross-reactivity.

Dr. Nicole Mifsud
Prof. Dr. Stephanie Gras
Dr. Kuan Rong Chan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antibodies
  • antigens
  • B cells
  • cross-reactivity
  • HLA
  • MHC
  • pathology
  • T cells
  • virus
  • vaccines

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3750 KiB  
Article
Cross-Reactive Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV in Pre-COVID-19 Blood Samples from Sierra Leoneans
by Rodrigo Borrega, Diana K. S. Nelson, Anatoliy P. Koval, Nell G. Bond, Megan L. Heinrich, Megan M. Rowland, Raju Lathigra, Duane J. Bush, Irina Aimukanova, Whitney N. Phinney, Sophia A. Koval, Andrew R. Hoffmann, Allison R. Smither, Antoinette R. Bell-Kareem, Lilia I. Melnik, Kaylynn J. Genemaras, Karissa Chao, Patricia Snarski, Alexandra B. Melton, Jaikin E. Harrell, Ashley A. Smira, Debra H. Elliott, Julie A. Rouelle, Gilberto Sabino-Santos, Jr., Arnaud C. Drouin, Mambu Momoh, John Demby Sandi, Augustine Goba, Robert J. Samuels, Lansana Kanneh, Michael Gbakie, Zoe L. Branco, Jeffrey G. Shaffer, John S. Schieffelin, James E. Robinson, Dahlene N. Fusco, Pardis C. Sabeti, Kristian G. Andersen, Donald S. Grant, Matthew L. Boisen, Luis M. Branco and Robert F. Garryadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Viruses 2021, 13(11), 2325; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v13112325 - 21 Nov 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 9434
Abstract
Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced lower COVID-19 caseloads and fewer deaths than countries in other regions worldwide. Under-reporting of cases and a younger population could partly account for these differences, but pre-existing immunity to coronaviruses is another potential factor. Blood samples [...] Read more.
Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have experienced lower COVID-19 caseloads and fewer deaths than countries in other regions worldwide. Under-reporting of cases and a younger population could partly account for these differences, but pre-existing immunity to coronaviruses is another potential factor. Blood samples from Sierra Leonean Lassa fever and Ebola survivors and their contacts collected before the first reported COVID-19 cases were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the presence of antibodies binding to proteins of coronaviruses that infect humans. Results were compared to COVID-19 subjects and healthy blood donors from the United States. Prior to the pandemic, Sierra Leoneans had more frequent exposures than Americans to coronaviruses with epitopes that cross-react with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), SARS-CoV, and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The percentage of Sierra Leoneans with antibodies reacting to seasonal coronaviruses was also higher than for American blood donors. Serological responses to coronaviruses by Sierra Leoneans did not differ by age or sex. Approximately a quarter of Sierra Leonian pre-pandemic blood samples had neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, while about a third neutralized MERS-CoV pseudovirus. Prior exposures to coronaviruses that induce cross-protective immunity may contribute to reduced COVID-19 cases and deaths in Sierra Leone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cross-Reactivity in Virus Infection)
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Review

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12 pages, 561 KiB  
Review
Heterologous Immunity of Virus-Specific T Cells Leading to Alloreactivity: Possible Implications for Solid Organ Transplantation
by Gonca E. Karahan, Frans H. J. Claas and Sebastiaan Heidt
Viruses 2021, 13(12), 2359; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/v13122359 - 24 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2231
Abstract
Exposure of the adaptive immune system to a pathogen can result in the activation and expansion of T cells capable of recognizing not only the specific antigen but also different unrelated antigens, a process which is commonly referred to as heterologous immunity. While [...] Read more.
Exposure of the adaptive immune system to a pathogen can result in the activation and expansion of T cells capable of recognizing not only the specific antigen but also different unrelated antigens, a process which is commonly referred to as heterologous immunity. While such cross-reactivity is favourable in amplifying protective immune responses to pathogens, induction of T cell-mediated heterologous immune responses to allo-antigens in the setting of solid organ transplantation can potentially lead to allograft rejection. In this review, we provide an overview of murine and human studies investigating the incidence and functional properties of virus-specific memory T cells cross-reacting with allo-antigens and discuss their potential relevance in the context of solid organ transplantation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cross-Reactivity in Virus Infection)
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