2022•Cell Reports MedicineOpen access
Tfh cells and the germinal center are required for memory B cell formation & humoral immunity after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination
William S. Foster, Jia Le Lee, Nazia Thakur, Joseph Newman, Alexandra J. Spencer, Sophie Davies, Danielle Woods, Leila Godfrey, Iain M. Hay, Silvia Innocentin, Juan Carlos Yam‐Puc, Emily C. Horner, Hayley J. Sharpe, James Thaventhiran, Dalan Bailey, Teresa Lambe, Michelle A. Linterman
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Abstract
Emergence from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has been facilitated by the rollout of effective vaccines. Successful vaccines generate high-affinity plasma blasts and long-lived protective memory B cells. Here, we show a requirement for T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and the germinal center reaction for optimal serum antibody and memory B cell formation after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination. We found that Tfh cells play an important role in expanding antigen-specific B cells while identifying Tfh-cell-dependent and -independent memory B cell subsets. Upon secondary vaccination, germinal center B cells generated during primary immunizations can be recalled as germinal center B cells again. Likewise, primary immunization GC-Tfh cells can be recalled as either Tfh or Th1 cells, highlighting the pluripotent nature of Tfh cell memory. This study demonstrates that ChAdOx1 nCoV-19-induced germinal centers are a critical source of humoral immunity.