The collaborative team of Ruijin Hospital described the impact of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine inoculation on the immune response in subjects infected with the Omicron variant
Source：Qu Jieming
2023-10-25
On September 27, 2023, a collaborative team led by Professor Qu Jieming, Professor Zhu Jiang, Professor Li Qingyun, and Academician Chen Saijuan from Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, published a research article titled "Systemic immune profiling of Omicron-infected subjects inoculated with different doses of inactivated virus vaccine" in the journal Cell. This study systematically described, for the first time, the impact of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine inoculation on the immune response in subjects infected with the Omicron variant, revealing the molecular mechanisms by which three booster doses of inactivated vaccines enhance monocytic activation and maturation through inducing "trained immunity," thereby exerting a potent antiviral effect.
As of September 21, 2023, the global pandemic of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has led to more than 770 million confirmed cases and over 6.95 million deaths across more than 200 countries and regions, posing a severe threat to human health and public health safety. Continuous small-scale outbreaks associated with the evolution and mutation of the virus are still occurring. Vaccination is generally believed to prevent viral infection and transmission by establishing specific antiviral immune memory in the host in advance. However, the protective effects and immunological mechanisms of mRNA and/or inactivated COVID-19 vaccines are not yet fully understood. Previous studies have focused on the establishment of specific humoral and cellular immune memory against the Omicron variant induced by mRNA vaccines or inactivated virus vaccines. Whether inactivated vaccines play an antiviral role by inducing "trained immunity" remains unclear.
In this context, the research team led by Professor Qu Jieming from Ruijin Hospital established a study cohort consisting of infected and uninfected subjects who had received different doses of inactivated virus vaccines during the Omicron variant outbreak in Shanghai in the spring of 2022. Through integrated analysis using mass cytometry (CyTOF), RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and Olink proteomics, the study revealed that three booster doses of vaccine promoted the activation of HLA-DRhigh classical monocytes and non-classical monocytes, the polarization of Th1-like effector memory T cells, and inhibited the expansion of pathological regulatory T cells (Tregs), thereby exerting protective immune effects. Correlation analysis and other studies suggested that three booster doses of vaccine induced "trained immunity," which promotes monocytic activation and maturation rather than differentiation into myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) upon Omicron infection, serving as a core event triggering a series of protective immune responses. This study systematically describes the impact of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine inoculation on the immune response in Omicron-infected subjects for the first time, revealing the molecular mechanisms by which three booster doses of inactivated vaccines exert potent antiviral effects through inducing "trained immunity."
Professor Qu Jieming from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Professor Zhu Jiang from the Shanghai Institute of Hematology, Professor Li Qingyun from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and Academician Chen Saijuan from the National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai are the co-corresponding authors. Associate Research Fellow Yu Shanhe from the National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Attending Physician Lin Yingni, Deputy Chief Physician Li Yong from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Doctoral Student Chen Shijun from the Shanghai Institute of Hematology, Attending Physician Zhou Lina, and Technician Song Hejie from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine are the co-first authors.
As of September 21, 2023, the global pandemic of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has led to more than 770 million confirmed cases and over 6.95 million deaths across more than 200 countries and regions, posing a severe threat to human health and public health safety. Continuous small-scale outbreaks associated with the evolution and mutation of the virus are still occurring. Vaccination is generally believed to prevent viral infection and transmission by establishing specific antiviral immune memory in the host in advance. However, the protective effects and immunological mechanisms of mRNA and/or inactivated COVID-19 vaccines are not yet fully understood. Previous studies have focused on the establishment of specific humoral and cellular immune memory against the Omicron variant induced by mRNA vaccines or inactivated virus vaccines. Whether inactivated vaccines play an antiviral role by inducing "trained immunity" remains unclear.
In this context, the research team led by Professor Qu Jieming from Ruijin Hospital established a study cohort consisting of infected and uninfected subjects who had received different doses of inactivated virus vaccines during the Omicron variant outbreak in Shanghai in the spring of 2022. Through integrated analysis using mass cytometry (CyTOF), RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and Olink proteomics, the study revealed that three booster doses of vaccine promoted the activation of HLA-DRhigh classical monocytes and non-classical monocytes, the polarization of Th1-like effector memory T cells, and inhibited the expansion of pathological regulatory T cells (Tregs), thereby exerting protective immune effects. Correlation analysis and other studies suggested that three booster doses of vaccine induced "trained immunity," which promotes monocytic activation and maturation rather than differentiation into myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) upon Omicron infection, serving as a core event triggering a series of protective immune responses. This study systematically describes the impact of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine inoculation on the immune response in Omicron-infected subjects for the first time, revealing the molecular mechanisms by which three booster doses of inactivated vaccines exert potent antiviral effects through inducing "trained immunity."
Professor Qu Jieming from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Professor Zhu Jiang from the Shanghai Institute of Hematology, Professor Li Qingyun from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and Academician Chen Saijuan from the National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai are the co-corresponding authors. Associate Research Fellow Yu Shanhe from the National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Attending Physician Lin Yingni, Deputy Chief Physician Li Yong from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Doctoral Student Chen Shijun from the Shanghai Institute of Hematology, Attending Physician Zhou Lina, and Technician Song Hejie from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine are the co-first authors.
