Autoimmune Effect of Antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 Nucleoprotein

Abstract

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is continuing to spread around the world and drastically affect our daily life. New strains appear, and the severity of the course of the disease itself seems to be decreasing, but even people who have been ill on an outpatient basis suffer post-COVID consequences. Partly, it is associated with the autoimmune reactions, so debates about the development of new vaccines and the need for vaccination/revaccination continue. In this study we performed an analysis of the antibody response of patients with COVID-19 to linear and conformational epitopes of viral proteins using ELISA, chip array and western blot with analysis of correlations between antibody titer, disease severity, and complications. We have shown that the presence of IgG antibodies to the nucleoprotein can deteriorate the course of the disease, induce multiple direct COVID-19 symptoms, and contribute to long-term post-covid symptoms. We analyzed the cross reactivity of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 with own human proteins and showed that antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein can bind to human proteins. In accordance with the possibility of HLA presentation, the main possible targets of the autoantibodies were identified. People with HLA alleles A01:01; A26:01; B39:01; B15:01 are most susceptible to the development of autoimmune processes after COVID-19.

Isolated Depo-Medrol Administration under Tenon’s Capsule for Post-COVID-19 Uveitis in a Child: A Case Report and Literature Review

“…The 2022 study by Matyushkin D. et al identified alleles linked to heightened susceptibility to autoimmune processes post-COVID-19, notably HLA A01:01, A26:01, B39:01 and B15:01 alleles [48], which were also found in our patient. These findings suggest a potential association between the detected alleles in the case under discussion and systemic diseases that lead to uveitis, alongside a correlation with autoimmune complications following COVID-19 infection.…”

Overview of Nucleocapsid-Targeting Vaccines against COVID-19

“…In addition to natural infection, the production of N-specific antibodies can be stimulated by immunization with whole-virion inactivated [ 22 , 23 ] or live attenuated [ 24 ] vaccines; however, the mechanism of involvement of these immunoglobulins in protection against COVID-19 remains largely unstudied. Moreover, there is evidence that anti-N antibodies may have autoimmune properties, provoking the development of various immunopathological conditions [ 25 ].…”

Antibody-Dependent Enhancement with a Focus on SARS-CoV-2 and Anti-Glycan Antibodies

“…SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 coronaviruses have been shown to cause the production of autoantibodies; in particular, in SARS-CoV-2, the antibodies to major viral antigens (S- and N-proteins) are cross-reactive to human proteins [ 139 ]. In animals, after immunization with a vaccine derived from inactivated and purified SARS-CoV virus, antibodies targeted to normal cell components, including the carbohydrate chains of human orosomucoid, were detected [ 117 ].…”