Fig. 2.

T cell protein immunodominance and epitope repertoire after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination. T cell responses recognize up to 10 different SARS-CoV-2 proteins representing 80% or more of the overall response, with the spike (S) being the most immunodominant, followed by Nucleocapsid (N), Membrane (M), and other Non-structural proteins (Nsps). At the epitope level, 30-40 epitopes are recognized by either CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ T cells after natural infection considering all SARS-CoV-2 proteins recognized. A median of 10–11 epitopes are recognized specifically for S protein in natural infection similarly to what is observed after vaccination.