CD8+ T cell cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 conferred by other coronavirus strains and influenza virus

Lee, Chloe H.; Pereira Pinho, Mariana; Buckley, Paul; Woodhouse, Isaac; Ogg, Graham; Simmons, Alison; Napolitani, Giorgio; Koohy, Hashem

While individuals infected with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifested a broad range in susceptibility and severity to the disease, the pre-existing immune memory of related pathogens can influence the disease outcome. Here, we investigated the potential extent of T cell cross-reactivity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that can be conferred by other coronaviruses and influenza virus, and generated a map of public and private predicted CD8+ T cell epitopes between coronaviruses. Moreover, to assess the potential risk of self-reactivity and/or diminished T cell response for peptides identical or highly similar to the host, we identified predicted epitopes with high sequence similarity with human proteome. Lastly, we compared predicted epitopes from coronaviruses with epitopes from influenza virus deposited in IEDB to support vaccine development against different virus strains. We believe the comprehensive in silico profile of private and public predicted epitopes across coronaviruses and influenza viruses will facilitate design of vaccines capable of protecting against various viral infections.