T-cell Stimulation with SARS-CoV-2 and VOC Peptides
Whole blood was incubated with 1 μg/mL SARS CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein
(S), or variant B.1.1.7 Spike (B.1.1.7). For patients with previous
infection, additional peptides were tested. These included virus
membrane protein (VME), nucleoprotein (NCAP), protein 3A (AP3A), and
non-structural protein 7A (NS7A) (JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH, Berlin,
Germany). For all conditions, Brefeldin A and anti-CD28/CD49d (BD
Biosciences, San Jose, CA) were added and incubated for 9 hours at
37OC. Negative and positive controls included cells
not incubated with peptides and those stimulated with phytohemagglutinin
(PHA).