Pre-vaccination and early B cell signatures predict antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine

Kardava, Lela; Rachmaninoff, Nicholas; Lau, William W.; Buckner, Clarisa M.; Trihemasava, Krittin; de Assis, Felipe Lopes; Wang, Wei; Zhang, Xiaozhen; Wang, Yimeng; Chiang, Chi-I; Narpala, Sandeep; Reger, Robert; McCormack, Genevieve E.; Seamon, Catherine A.; Childs, Richard W.; Suffredini, Anthony F.; Strich, Jeffrey R.; Chertow, Daniel S.; Davey, Richard T.; Sneller, Michael C.; O’Connell, Sarah; Li, Yuxing; McDermott, Adrian; Chun, Tae-Wook; Fauci, Anthony S.; Tsang, John S.; Moir, Susan

SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines are highly effective, although weak antibody responses are seen in some individuals with correlates of immunity that remain poorly understood. Here we longitudinally dissected antibody, plasmablast, and memory B cell (MBC) responses to the two-dose Moderna mRNA vaccine in SARS-CoV-2-uninfected adults. Robust, coordinated IgA and IgG antibody responses were preceded by bursts of spike-specific plasmablasts after both doses, but earlier and more intensely after dose two. Distinct antigen-specific MBC populations also emerged post-vaccination with varying kinetics. We identified antigen non-specific pre-vaccination MBC and post-vaccination plasmablasts after dose one and their spike-specific counterparts early after dose two that correlated with subsequent antibody levels. These baseline and response signatures can thus provide early indicators of serological efficacy and explain response variability in the population.