Genetics and analysis of quantitative traits

https://escholarship.org/content/qt56q617w2/qt56q617w2.pdf?t=qblgcg

Targets of T Cell Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus in Humans with COVID-19 Disease and Unexposed Individuals.

Here, we describe a serological enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the screening and identification of human SARS-CoV-2 seroconverters. This assay does not require the handling of infectious virus, can be adjusted to detect different antibody types in serum and plasma and is amenable to scaling. Serological assays are of critical importance to help define previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in populations, identify highly reactive human donors for convalescent plasma therapy and investigate correlates of protection.

/pdf/a-serological-assay-to-detect-sars-cov-2-seroconversion-in-1obxrdtlkd.pdf

A serological assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in humans.

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain (ENE-COVID): a nationwide, population-based seroepidemiological study.

Immunology of COVID-19: Current State of the Science.

Many public health responses and modeled scenarios for COVID-19 outbreaks caused by SARS-CoV-2 assume that infection results in an immune response that protects individuals from future infections or illness for some amount of time. The presence or absence of protective immunity due to infection or vaccination (when available) will affect future transmission and illness severity. Here, we review the scientific literature on antibody immunity to coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 as well as the related SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs). We reviewed 2,452 abstracts and identified 491 manuscripts relevant to 5 areas of focus: 1) antibody kinetics, 2) correlates of protection, 3) immunopathogenesis, 4) antigenic diversity and cross-reactivity, and 5) population seroprevalence. While further studies of SARS-CoV-2 are necessary to determine immune responses, evidence from other coronaviruses can provide clues and guide future research.

/pdf/a-systematic-review-of-antibody-mediated-immunity-to-2kcgg1pgct.pdf

A systematic review of antibody mediated immunity to coronaviruses: kinetics, correlates of protection, and association with severity.

Understanding the genetic basis of susceptibility to pathogens is an important goal of medicine and of evolutionary biology. A key first step toward understanding the genetics and evolution of any phenotypic trait is characterizing the role of mutation. However, the rate at which mutation introduces genetic variance for pathogen susceptibility in any organism is essentially unknown. Here, we quantify the per-generation input of genetic variance by mutation (VM) for susceptibility of Caenorhabditis elegans to the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (defined as the median time of death, LT50). VM for LT50 is slightly less than VM for a variety of life-history and morphological traits in this strain of C. elegans, but is well within the range of reported values in a variety of organisms. Mean LT50 did not change significantly over 250 generations of mutation accumulation. Comparison of VM to the standing genetic variance (VG) implies a strength of selection against new mutations of a few tenths of a percent. These results suggest that the substantial standing genetic variation for susceptibility of C. elegans to P. aeruginosa can be explained by polygenic mutation coupled with purifying selection.

/pdf/the-red-death-meets-the-abdominal-bristle-polygenic-mutation-i9ggpcqf4b.pdf

The red death meets the abdominal bristle: Polygenic mutation for susceptibility to a bacterial pathogen in Caenorhabditis elegans

Since the discovery of mouse hybridoma technology by Kohler and Milstein in 1975, significant progress has been made in monoclonal antibody production. Advances in B cell immortalization and phage display technologies have generated a myriad of valuable monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and treatment. Technological breakthroughs in various fields of ‘omics have shed crucial insights into cellular heterogeneity of a biological system in which the functional individuality of a single cell must be considered. Based on this important concept, remarkable discoveries in single-cell analysis have made in identifying and isolating functional B cells that produce beneficial therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. In this review, we will discuss three traditional methods of antibody discovery. Recent technological platforms for single-cell antibody discovery will be reviewed. We will discuss the application of the single-cell analysis in finding therapeutic antibodies for human immunodeficiency virus and emerging Zika arbovirus.

Veronique Etienne

Papers

A systematic review of antibody mediated immunity to coronaviruses: kinetics, correlates of protection, and association with severity.

The red death meets the abdominal bristle: Polygenic mutation for susceptibility to a bacterial pathogen in Caenorhabditis elegans

Therapeutic Antibody Discovery in Infectious Diseases Using Single-Cell Analysis.