Influenza vaccine–induced human bone marrow plasma cells decline within a year after vaccination

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 370; no. 6513; pp. 237 - 241
• Main Authors: Davis, Carl W., Jackson, Katherine J. L., McCausland, Megan M., Darce, Jaime, Chang, Cathy, Linderman, Susanne L., Chennareddy, Chakravarthy, Gerkin, Rebecca, Brown, Shantoria J., Wrammert, Jens, Mehta, Aneesh K., Cheung, Wan Cheung, Boyd, Scott D., Waller, Edmund K., Ahmed, Rafi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The American Association for the Advancement of Science 09.10.2020
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Bone marrow; Bone Marrow Cells - immunology; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Immunization; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Influenza; Influenza Vaccines - immunology; Influenza, Human - blood; Influenza, Human - immunology; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Plasma cells; Plasma Cells - immunology; Vaccination; Vaccines
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz8432

The seasonal flu shot is currently recommended each year because the influenza viral strains in circulation are continuously changing and because the antibody responses produced by the vaccine decline over time. In a human study of healthy volunteers, Davis et al. tracked antibody responses after flu vaccination. They investigated whether the vaccine led to the generation of antibody-secreting plasma cells in the bone marrow, a lymphoid organ that supports the survival of these cells for years. Although vaccination did generate influenza-specific cells, most were short-lived and lost within 1 year. The fact that a small number did persist over 1 year raises prospects that the longevity of flu vaccines can be improved and provides key information for the development of universal vaccines against influenza. Science , this issue p. 237 Researchers explore the decline of influenza-specific bone marrow plasma cells after vaccination in humans. A universal vaccine against influenza would ideally generate protective immune responses that are not only broadly reactive against multiple influenza strains but also long-lasting. Because long-term serum antibody levels are maintained by bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs), we investigated the production and maintenance of these cells after influenza vaccination. We found increased numbers of influenza-specific BMPCs 4 weeks after immunization with the seasonal inactivated influenza vaccine, but numbers returned to near their prevaccination levels after 1 year. This decline was driven by the loss of BMPCs induced by the vaccine, whereas preexisting BMPCs were maintained. Our results suggest that most BMPCs generated by influenza vaccination in adults are short-lived. Designing strategies to enhance their persistence will be a key challenge for the next generation of influenza vaccines.