A comparison of the repertoire of SARS-CoV-2-specific epitopes targeted by T cells induced by vaccination or natural infection reveals that T cells predominantly target non-spike epitopes in convalescent individuals, while there is a broader spike-specific CD8+ T-cell response in vaccinees. Despite differences in T-cell response, the targeted T-cell epitopes were conserved between the wild-type and Omicron variants in both groups.
- Julia Lang-Meli
- Hendrik Luxenburger
- Christoph Neumann-Haefelin