Germinal center responses—affinity maturation via somatic hypermutation; class-switch recombination, allowing B cells to switch from IgM to IgG, IgA, or IgE antibody types, diversifying functionality; and preferential selection of high-affinity clones—are key for the development of broadly neutralizing antibodies.
- Kuijper 2024: Longevity of antibody responses is associated with distinct antigen-specific B cell subsets early after infection
- Li 2024: Affinity-independent memory B cell origin of the early antibody-secreting cell response in naive individuals upon SARS-CoV-2 vaccination
- Röltgen 2024: Antibody and B cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination: the end of the beginning
- Yang 2023: Antigen presentation dynamics shape the antibody response to variants like SARS-CoV-2 Omicron after multiple vaccinations with the original strain
Yang 2023 found that induction of broadly protective antibodies is highly dependent on Tfh cells, which play a key role in driving affinity maturation of B cells.
Repeated antigen exposure through booster vaccination or hybrid immunity augments the selection of B cell clones that recognize conserved epitopes.
- Lilly 2026: Re-infection with SARS-CoV-2 is associated with increased antibody breadth and potency against diverse sarbecovirus strains
- Lapuente 2023: B-cell and antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2: infection, vaccination, and hybrid immunity
Roederer 2026 found that infection and breakthrough infection has been linked to the production of fusion peptide (FP)-directed antibodies that target epitopes conserved across sarbecoviruses.
Depierreux 2026 found that while repeated RBD antigen exposure improved neutralization and somatic hypermutation, it did not improve antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Instead, antibodies that target the S2 region were the strongest predictor of ADCC (particularly NK cell-mediated ADCC), whereas RBD and CTD targeting were the main predictors of neutralization.