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Cited by 42SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchSARS-CoV-2 detection and testingCOVID-19 Clinical Research Studies

SARS-CoV-2 accessory proteins reveal distinct serological signatures in children

Open access
Hachim, Asmaa, Gu, Haogao, Kavian, Otared, Mori, Masashi, Kwan, Mike Y. W., Chan, Wai Hung, Yau, Yat Sun, Chiu, Susan S. +12 more·2022·Nature Communications
DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-30699-5PMC PMC9135746
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Abstract

The antibody response magnitude and kinetics may impact clinical severity, serological diagnosis and long-term protection of COVID-19, which may play a role in why children experience lower morbidity. We therefore tested samples from 122 children in Hong Kong with symptomatic (n = 78) and asymptomatic (n = 44) SARS-CoV-2 infections up to 200 days post infection, relative to 71 infected adults (symptomatic n = 61, and asymptomatic n = 10), and negative controls (n = 48). We assessed serum IgG antibodies to a 14-wide antigen panel of structural and accessory proteins by Luciferase Immuno-Precipitation System (LIPS) assay and circulating cytokines. Infected children have lower levels of Spike, Membrane, ORF3a, ORF7a, ORF7b antibodies, comparable ORF8 and elevated E-specific antibodies than adults. Combination of two unique antibody targets, ORF3d and ORF8, can accurately discriminate SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. Principal component analysis reveals distinct pediatric serological signatures, and the highest contribution to variance from adults are antibody responses to non-structural proteins ORF3d, NSP1, ORF3a and ORF8. From a diverse panel of cytokines that can modulate immune priming and relative inflammation, IL-8, MCP-1 and IL-6 correlate with the magnitude of pediatric antibody specificity and severity. Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 internal proteins may become an important sero surveillance tool of infection with the roll-out of vaccines in the pediatric population.

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  • The ELISA assays as previously described were optimized and validated.

    “The ELISA assays as previously described6,7 were optimized and validated.”

    From Real-world COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against the Omicron BA.2 variant in a SARS-CoV-2 infection-naive population (2023) · cites this paper as [7]

    The section ‘Different levels of antibodies to structural proteins in children and adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection’ (page unavailable) reports sensitivity and specificity for in-house ELISA assays, supporting an assessment of their diagnostic performance. The copy does not say those assays were optimized; its ELISA methods description instead specifies a commercial total-IgG kit used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • N- and ORF8-specific antibody responses were well maintained for at least 100 days postinfection.

    “we previously reported that N- and ORF8-specific antibody responses were well maintained for at least 100 days postinfection7.”

    From Real-world COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against the Omicron BA.2 variant in a SARS-CoV-2 infection-naive population (2023) · cites this paper as [7]

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Research works printed but not linked: 20

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Authors
Hachim, A., Gu, H., Kavian, O., Mori, M., Kwan, M. Y. W., Chan, W. H., Yau, Y. S., Chiu, S. S., Tsang, O. T. Y., Hui, D. S. C., Mok, C. K. P., Ma, F. N. L., Lau, E. H. Y., Amarasinghe, G. K., Qavi, A. J., Cheng, S. M. S., Poon, L. L. M., Peiris, J. S. M., Valkenburg, S. A., & Kavian, N.
Affiliations
  • HKU-Pasteur Research Pole (HK)
  • University of Hong Kong (HK)
  • Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR)
  • Ishikawa Prefectural University (JP)
  • Hospital Authority (HK)
  • Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK)
  • Washington University in St. Louis (US)
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
  • Inserm (FR)
Corresponding author
Valkenburg, Sophie A.
ORCID
Venue
Nature Communications
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2022-05-26
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
2951-2951
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1038/s41467-022-30699-5
PMC
PMC9135746
OpenAlex
W4281559006
Cited by
42
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 8
FWCI
4.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Commons@Becker (Washington University School of Medicine) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee (T11-712/19-N)
  • Food and Health Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | Health and Medical Research Fund (COVID-190126)
  • Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (HHSN272201400006C)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 pandemic, children, antibody response, accessory proteins, ORF8, ORF3a, ORF7a, ORF7b, Nsp1, spike protein, membrane proteins, E protein, asymptomatic infection, cytokines, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, MCP-1, sero-surveillance
MeSH terms
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adult, Antibody Specificity, Child, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Cytokines

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