SARS-CoV-2 and innate immunity: the good, the bad, and the "goldilocks"

Benjamin L Sievers; Mark T K Cheng; Kata Csiba; Bo Meng; Ravindra K Gupta

doi:10.1038/s41423-023-01104-y

SARS-CoV-2 and innate immunity: the good, the bad, and the "goldilocks"

Cell Mol Immunol. 2024 Feb;21(2):171-183. doi: 10.1038/s41423-023-01104-y. Epub 2023 Nov 20.

Authors

Benjamin L Sievers¹, Mark T K Cheng¹, Kata Csiba¹, Bo Meng^{2

3}, Ravindra K Gupta^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
² Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. bm432@cam.ac.uk.
³ Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. bm432@cam.ac.uk.
⁴ Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. rkg20@cam.ac.uk.
⁵ Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. rkg20@cam.ac.uk.

Abstract

An ancient conflict between hosts and pathogens has driven the innate and adaptive arms of immunity. Knowledge about this interplay can not only help us identify biological mechanisms but also reveal pathogen vulnerabilities that can be leveraged therapeutically. The humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 infection has been the focus of intense research, and the role of the innate immune system has received significantly less attention. Here, we review current knowledge of the innate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the various means SARS-CoV-2 employs to evade innate defense systems. We also consider the role of innate immunity in SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and in the phenomenon of long COVID.

Keywords: Antiviral targets; Cytokines; Inflammation; Innate immune response; Interferon; SARS-CoV-2.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19*
Humans
Immunity, Innate
Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
SARS-CoV-2*

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines