Systematic profiling of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG responses elicited by an inactivated virus vaccine identifies peptides and proteins for predicting vaccination efficacy

One of the best ways to control COVID-19 is vaccination. Among the various SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, inactivated virus vaccines have been widely applied in China and many other countries. To understand the underlying protective mechanism of these vaccines, it is necessary to systematically analyze the humoral responses that are triggered. By utilizing a SARS-CoV-2 microarray with 21 proteins and 197 peptides that fully cover the spike protein, antibody response profiles of 59 serum samples collected from 32 volunteers immunized with the inactivated virus vaccine BBIBP-CorV were generated. For this set of samples, the microarray results correlated with the neutralization titers of the authentic virus, and two peptides (S1-5 and S2-22) were identified as potential biomarkers for assessing the effectiveness of vaccination. Moreover, by comparing immunized volunteers to convalescent and hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the N protein, NSP7, and S2-78 were identified as potential biomarkers for differentiating COVID-19 patients from individuals vaccinated with the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The comprehensive profile of humoral responses against the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine will facilitate a deeper understanding of the vaccine and provide potential biomarkers for inactivated virus vaccine-related applications.