SARS-CoV-2 T cell epitopes

SARS-CoV-2 T cell epitopes are short peptide sequences derived from the viral proteome, including structural proteins like spike (S), nucleocapsid (N), and membrane (M), as well as non-structural proteins such as those in ORF1ab, that are presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules to activate CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. These epitopes, typically 8-10 amino acids for CD8+ T cells and 13-17 for CD4+ T cells, trigger robust immune responses critical for early virus clearance, control of disease severity, and limiting transmission during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Immunodominant examples include N105-113 (SPRWYFYYL, HLA-B*07:02-restricted CD8 epitope), S269-277 (YLQPRTFLL, HLA-A*02:01-restricted), and S751-767 (HLA-DRB1*15:01-restricted CD4 epitope), many of which remain conserved even in variants like Omicron. T cell responses to these epitopes exhibit diverse phenotypes (e.g., central memory, effector memory) and TCR repertoires, with cross-reactivity to common cold coronaviruses observed in unexposed individuals, contributing to preexisting immunity. While over 2000 such epitopes have been identified across the 30-kb SARS-CoV-2 genome, they are not a singular molecular entity like a receptor or enzyme but collective antigenic determinants driving adaptive immunity. This breadth informs vaccine design but highlights challenges like variant escape and immunodominance hierarchies varying by HLA type and infection/vaccination status.

Other names

SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell epitopesSARS-CoV-2 immunodominant epitopesSARS-CoV-2-derived T cell epitopes