Persistence of functional memory B cells recognizing SARS-CoV-2 variants despite loss of specific IgG
Stephan Winklmeier, Katharina Eisenhut, Damla Taskin, Heike Rübsamen, Ramona Gerhards, Céline Schneider, Paul R. Wratil, Marcel Stern, Peter Eichhorn, Oliver T. Keppler, Matthias Klein, Simone Mader, Tania Kümpfel, Edgar Meinl
Abstract
revealed persistent SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG B cells in all patients, whereas IgA B cells were maintained in 11. Antibodies derived from cultured B cells blocked binding of viral receptor-binding domain (RBD) to the cellular receptor ACE-2, had neutralizing activity to authentic virus, and recognized the RBD of the variant of concern Alpha similarly to the wild type, whereas reactivity to Beta and Gamma were decreased. Thus, differentiation of memory B cells could be more sensitive for detecting previous infection than measuring serum antibodies. Understanding the persistence of SARS-CoV-2-specific B cells even in the absence of specific serum IgG will help to promote long-term immunity.