Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Potential Genes and Essential Biological Processes Controlling the Robust Immune Response to Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in Healthy Adults

Abstract The seasonal influenza vaccine remains one of the vital recommended infection control measures for healthy individuals and the elderly with chronic illnesses. Nonetheless, a universal vaccine, which can be administered once and offer long-term protection against influenza, still has a few steps to go before it becomes available to the general public. We investigated the immunogenicity of a single dose of influenza vaccine in 123 seronegative participants and classified them into four distinct groups, determined by the promptness of their vaccine response, the longevity of their humoral immunity, and the likelihood of exhibiting cross-reactivity. Subsequently, we used transcriptional profiling and differential gene expression analysis to identify potential genes directly associated with the robust response to the vaccine. Our findings point out a list of expressed proteins that are related to B cell proliferation, unfolded protein response and cellular hemostasis, as well as a linkage of these expressions to the survival of long-lived plasma cells.