BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination Activates Spike-Reactive Regulatory T Cells in Humans
Clicks: 16
ID: 326300
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This
article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score —
reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
Reader Engagement
Emerging Content
4.5
/100
16 views
15 readers
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
EmergingRanked #22 of 42 articles by views in international immunology
Most read
Least read
Bar heights use a square-root scale.
Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet mintedCreate a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.
5
SUSD
one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
Studies using mouse models of viral infection have shown that viral antigen-reactive regulatory T cells play multiple context-dependent roles, including attenuating the immune response against the pathogen and limiting inflammatory damage. By contrast, evidence for the presence and function of viral antigen-specific Tregs in humans remains very limited. Here, we investigated whether BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination activates spike (S)-reactive Tregs in healthy adults. We performed an integrated analysis combining scRNA-seq, TCR repertoire profiling, and flow cytometry of activation-induced marker (AIM) expressing S-reactive CD4+ T cells isolated from PBMCs cultured with trimeric S protein. We found that CD39+ cells co-expressing CTLA4 and TIGIT within the S-reactive AIM+ CD4+ T cell population were preferentially enriched for Tregs relative to their CD39- counterparts. In subjects vaccinated with BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, the frequencies of CD39+CTLA4+ and CD39+TIGIT+ S-reactive Treg-like cells were significantly increased following vaccination. Using scRNA-seq, we identified two FoxP3+ Treg clusters among S-reactive CD4+ T cells: one characterized by IFN-activated gene signatures and another by high HLA class II, CD39 and CTLA4 expression. Both subsets were transcriptionally activated following vaccination, with upregulation of genes associated with T cell activation and inflammatory cytokines including TNF and IFNG. Consistent with these findings, flow cytometry detected increased proportions of CD39+ and FoxP3+ S-reactive Tregs expressing IFN-γ and/or TNF-α following vaccination. Collectively, these findings support a model in which BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination activates both an S-reactive effector T cell response and a Treg response, suggesting Treg co-induction may be critical for balancing antiviral immunity with immunoregulation.
| Reference Key |
openalex_W7204137988
Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using
SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
|
|---|---|
| Authors | Naila Shinwari, Xinxin Xue, Dongyun Lu, Celine Chua, Yayoi Iwamoto, Yuki Masuo, Sho Sekito, Daisuke Akiyama, Yasuhiro Murakawa, Takao Hashiguchi, 勇夫 伊藤, Hiroyuki Yoshitomi, Hideki Ueno |
| Journal | international immunology |
| Year | 2026 |
| DOI |
10.1093/intimm/dxag045
|
| URL | |
| Keywords | Keywords not found |
Citations
No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.