Geneticist: Immunity after vaccination may be greater than after COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic made us witness a medical breakthrough, and not passive. For the first time in history, we are vaccinating ourselves with preparations based on the genetic material of the virus on an unprecedented scale. It is believed that the immunity they induce may be greater than the disease resistance. Dr hab. n. med. Krzysztof Szczałuba, a specialist in clinical genetics, explains how such vaccines work and how the immunity after vaccination differs from that after contracting COVID-19.

1. The expert explains how immunity works in the human body
2. It also explains the mechanism of action of genetic vaccines: – The RNA of the virus most likely does not integrate with our DNA. It is independent and simply triggers a specific immune response
3. Dr. Szczałuba emphasizes that there are still many unknowns about how long immunity to the coronavirus lasts after vaccination and disease. Research is still ongoing
4. More about COVID-19 can be found on the TvoiLokony home page

Monika Zieleniewska, MedTvoiLokony: Professor, wouldn’t it be good to have a genetic vaccine that, after administration, will be permanently embedded in our DNA, introduce information about a dangerous virus and generate immunity that we will pass on to the next generations?

Dr hab. n. med. Krzysztof Szczałuba: In my daily practice I deal with hereditary rare diseases caused by mutations in our DNA. Perhaps some of these mutations are caused by molecules, e.g. viral DNA or RNA, incorporated into the DNA. This cannot be ruled out. It should be emphasized that such embedded viral DNA or RNA particles in the evolutionary context could work both for the benefit and the disadvantage of our organisms. This is an interesting and at the same time sensitive topic, because we generally defend ourselves against incorporating viral genetic material into our DNA.

Dlaczego?

We don’t know what it might have ended with. Not in the perspective of evolution that I just mentioned, but here and now. Rather, we make sure that the viral genetic material remains separate from the host’s DNA when developing mRNA vaccines or vaccines produced using new technologies that use viral genetic material that is not weakened, i.e. not devoid of virulence. If we think about any of the body’s defenses over the years due to the incorporation of DNA or RNA of the virus, it is more in terms of successive generations, in terms of evolution. These problems we have today concern our generation and what will happen in several dozen or several hundred years may be of concern to us, but we do have specific enemies that we must face now.

And apparently our DNA has such a property that it can wipe out unnecessary information?

It is true that if an organism is not stimulated in some particular direction, part of the DNA, i.e. a selected region of nucleic acids, can be inactivated. This does not mean that the information stored there is erased, it remains, it just becomes less important. Certainly, we deal with such a phenomenon not only in situations when something is threatening us from the outside, but also when some other factors are more important for the body. Again, it is not that this genetic information is not present, it can be made available later when we need it.

To what extent are we then able to control the genetic vaccine?

We need to start with a reminder of what types of immunity we have. Now, we have two types of immunity – cellular immunity and humoral immunity, at the level of antibodies. Both are very useful because cellular immunity is the primary defense against, for example, fungal infections. In turn, humoral immunity, that is in the form of antibodies, is useful in fighting bacterial and viral infections.

Depending on the situation, e.g. in the fight against cancer, we need more cellular immunity and it is activated. Of course, both work in a mixed fashion, when we activate immunity in the form of antibodies, it is followed by activation of immunity at the cellular level. When cellular immunity is activated, antibody production usually begins as well.

What about COVID-19?

Antibodies are essential here and they are supposed to protect us. Let us pay attention to the fact that the so-called NK cells (natural killers), which already belong to the sphere of cellular immunity. This helps us fight a recent infection. However, it seems that the bulk of viral immunity, also to the coronavirus, is that of antibodies, i.e. humoral immunity. Recently, in the issue of possible long-term immunity, the role of memory T cells, per se, as a component of cellular immunity, has been underlined.

Let’s recall how the immune mechanism works?

We have two types of DNA and RNA nucleic acids. In our bodies, we also produce RNA – an acid that acts as an intermediary between DNA acid and protein. RNA therefore contains the very essence of the genetic information from which the protein is produced. So we have DNA and RNA acids and proteins, but we are attacked by viruses which are almost entirely composed of nucleic acid and that could be DNA or RNA. SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the group of RNA viruses. This virus introduces its RNA into the cell and on the basis of its RNA is produced, inter alia, the spike protein called S. Ono protein is called. antigen, i.e. it causes the immune reaction of our body to the RNA of the virus.

When vaccinating, we introduce the RNA fragment of the virus into the body in a lipid envelope, and the viral protein, i.e. the antigen, is produced by our cells?

Yes, based on that RNA. It should be emphasized that the viral RNA most likely does not integrate with our DNA. It is independent and simply triggers a specific immune response.

So it is destroyed?

Yes, the viral RNA is then destroyed. Interestingly, in laboratory conditions, RNA is very unstable and even a slight temperature change within the cell or a change in living conditions is enough for it to decompose.

And the memory remains?

In the form of antibodies and possibly memory T cells. As with any type of infection, there are two types of antibodies. IgM antibodies that are produced in response to fresh infection and disappear soon, and IgG antibodies that remain for longer. These are the so-called memory antibodies, they remember that such RNA, or such a virus, entered our body, creating acquired immunity.

How enduring is this memory?

The studies that have been carried out so far on SARS-CoV-2 show that we obtain immunity in the form of antibodies for a few (about 3 – 4) months after vaccination (1). However, when it comes to disease-induced immunity, it may be a longer period (from about 8 months up) (2).

Please note that humoral immunity may therefore coincide with the seasonality, so the coronavirus may be similar to the influenza virus in this respect.

To sum up, we obtain immunity through vaccination and disease, but it is relatively short-term immunity, our body does not remember too long, and in addition, the virus undergoes mutations, i.e. changes its character.

It used to be believed that the coronavirus has the ability to mutate and change its virulence and, for example, in old textbooks you can find the wording that no vaccines for coronavirus have been invented so far because it has a high mutagenic capacity or simply a great ability to avoid the barrier in the form of our immunity humoral. On the one hand, this is true, because the multiplication of the virus RNA is very fast, but on the other hand, viruses such as coronavirus have the ability to produce the so-called RNA-dependent RNA polymerase …

What is this?

This is a protein, an enzyme that can multiply RNA. It can multiply RNA in the cell and on this basis also produce a protein. The mutational potential of viruses that have information about the production of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase is 20 times lower than those that do not have this information.

This is good news for us.

Yes, but I think our immunity is decisive here. How seasonal it is, how long it can be developed. I am talking about immunity after disease and vaccination. It is believed that post-vaccination immunity, especially with mRNA vaccines, may be greater than disease-induced immunity, but we do not yet have extensive research, and so far this is speculation. It seems that the disease of COVID-19 also plays an important role, as antibodies and memory lymphocytes produced as a result of it may be of key importance.

It is worth emphasizing that, if you believe the results of SARS-CoV-2 tests, it has already been present in almost every family this season, most often asymptomatically or mildly. Thus, the majority of immunity could already be obtained by a large part of the population in connection with the infection.

This may interest you:

1. When will you get the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?
2. New report on vaccination reactions in Poland. How many deaths?
3. How effective is COVID-19 vaccines? [COMPARISON]

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