scholarly journals High-resolution epitope mapping and characterization of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in large cohorts of subjects with COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Winston A. Haynes ◽  
Kathy Kamath ◽  
Joel Bozekowski ◽  
Elisabeth Baum-Jones ◽  
Melissa Campbell ◽  
...  

AbstractAs Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to spread, characterization of its antibody epitopes, emerging strains, related coronaviruses, and even the human proteome in naturally infected patients can guide the development of effective vaccines and therapies. Since traditional epitope identification tools are dependent upon pre-defined peptide sequences, they are not readily adaptable to diverse viral proteomes. The Serum Epitope Repertoire Analysis (SERA) platform leverages a high diversity random bacterial display library to identify proteome-independent epitope binding specificities which are then analyzed in the context of organisms of interest. When evaluating immune response in the context of SARS-CoV-2, we identify dominant epitope regions and motifs which demonstrate potential to classify mild from severe disease and relate to neutralization activity. We highlight SARS-CoV-2 epitopes that are cross-reactive with other coronaviruses and demonstrate decreased epitope signal for mutant SARS-CoV-2 strains. Collectively, the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 mutants towards reduced antibody response highlight the importance of data-driven development of the vaccines and therapies to treat COVID-19.

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 739-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Kogot ◽  
Joseph M. Pennington ◽  
Deborah A. Sarkes ◽  
David A. Kingery ◽  
Paul M. Pellegrino ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 571-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianhe Li ◽  
Liming Xu ◽  
Guiping Ren ◽  
Chengkai Yin ◽  
Bing Zhou ◽  
...  

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Gonelli ◽  
Hannah A. D. King ◽  
Charlene Mackenzie ◽  
Secondo Sonza ◽  
Rob J. Center ◽  
...  

An optimal prophylactic vaccine to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) transmission should elicit protective antibody responses against the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env). Replication-incompetent HIV-1 virus-like particles (VLPs) offer the opportunity to present virion-associated Env with a native-like structure during vaccination that closely resembles that encountered on infectious virus. Here, we optimized the incorporation of Env into previously designed mature-form VLPs (mVLPs) and assessed their immunogenicity in mice. The incorporation of Env into mVLPs was increased by replacing the Env transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail domains with those of influenza haemagglutinin (HA-TMCT). Furthermore, Env was stabilized on the VLP surface by introducing an interchain disulfide and proline substitution (SOSIP) mutations typically employed to stabilize soluble Env trimers. The resulting mVLPs efficiently presented neutralizing antibody epitopes while minimizing exposure of non-neutralizing antibody sites. Vaccination of mice with mVLPs elicited a broader range of Env-specific antibody isotypes than Env presented on immature VLPs or extracellular vesicles. The mVLPs bearing HA-TMCT-modified Env consistently induced anti-Env antibody responses that mediated modest neutralization activity. These mVLPs are potentially useful immunogens for eliciting neutralizing antibody responses that target native Env epitopes on infectious HIV-1 virions.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 771
Author(s):  
Autumn T. LaPointe ◽  
Kevin J. Sokoloski

Alphaviruses are positive-sense RNA arboviruses that are capable of causing severe disease in otherwise healthy individuals. There are many aspects of viral infection that determine pathogenesis and major efforts regarding the identification and characterization of virulence determinants have largely focused on the roles of the nonstructural and structural proteins. Nonetheless, the viral RNAs of the alphaviruses themselves play important roles in regard to virulence and pathogenesis. In particular, many sequences and secondary structures within the viral RNAs play an important part in the development of disease and may be considered important determinants of virulence. In this review article, we summarize the known RNA-based virulence traits and host:RNA interactions that influence alphaviral pathogenesis for each of the viral RNA species produced during infection. Overall, the viral RNAs produced during infection are important contributors to alphaviral pathogenesis and more research is needed to fully understand how each RNA species impacts the host response to infection as well as the development of disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. eabe6855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Beltrán-Pavez ◽  
Sebastián Riquelme-Barrios ◽  
Aarón Oyarzún-Arrau ◽  
Aracelly Gaete-Argel ◽  
Roxana González-Stegmaier ◽  
...  

Chile has one of the worst numbers worldwide in terms of SARS-CoV-2 positive cases and COVID-19–related deaths per million inhabitants; thus, characterization of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses in the general population is critical to understanding of immunity at the local level. Given our inability to perform massive classical neutralization assays due to the scarce availability of BSL-3 facilities in the country, we developed and fully characterized an HIV-based SARS-CoV-2 pseudotype, which was used in a 96-well plate format to investigate NAb responses in samples from individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 or treated with convalescent plasma. We also identified samples with decreased or enhanced neutralization activity against the D614G spike variant compared with the wild type, indicating the relevance of this variant in host immunity. The data presented here represent the first insights into NAb responses in individuals from Chile, serving as a guide for future studies in the country.


2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 1103-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blanca García-Barreno ◽  
John Steel ◽  
Monica Payá ◽  
Luis Martínez-Sobrido ◽  
Teresa Delgado ◽  
...  

The reactivity of a panel of 12 monoclonal antibodies raised against the human respiratory syncytial virus 22 kDa (22K) protein was tested by Western blotting with a set of 22K deletion mutants. The results obtained identified sequences in the C-terminal half of the 22K polypeptide required for integrity of most antibody epitopes, except for epitope 112, which was lost in mutants with short N-terminal deletions. This antibody, in contrast to the others, failed to immunoprecipitate the native 22K protein, indicating that the N terminus of this protein is buried in the native molecule and exposed only under the denaturing conditions of Western blotting. In addition, N-terminal deletions that abolished reactivity with monoclonal antibody 112 also inhibited phosphorylation of the 22K protein previously identified at Ser-58 and Ser-61, suggesting that the N terminus is important in regulating the 22K protein phosphorylation status, most likely as a result of its requirement for protein folding.


Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 451
Author(s):  
Sylvie Lapègue ◽  
Serge Heurtebise ◽  
Florence Cornette ◽  
Erwan Guichoux ◽  
Pierre-Alexandre Gagnaire

The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, was voluntarily introduced from Japan and British Columbia into Europe in the early 1970s, mainly to replace the Portuguese oyster, Crassostrea angulata, in the French shellfish industry, following a severe disease outbreak. Since then, the two species have been in contact in southern Europe and, therefore, have the potential to exchange genes. Recent evolutionary genomic works have provided empirical evidence that C. gigas and C. angulata exhibit partial reproductive isolation. Although hybridization occurs in nature, the rate of interspecific gene flow varies across the genome, resulting in highly heterogeneous genome divergence. Taking this biological property into account is important to characterize genetic ancestry and population structure in oysters. Here, we identified a subset of ancestry-informative makers from the most differentiated regions of the genome using existing genomic resources. We developed two different panels in order to (i) easily differentiate C. gigas and C. angulata, and (ii) describe the genetic diversity and structure of the cupped oyster with a particular focus on French Atlantic populations. Our results confirm high genetic homogeneity among Pacific cupped oyster populations in France and reveal several cases of introgressions between Portuguese and Japanese oysters in France and Portugal.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuyao Jiao ◽  
Sarah Smith ◽  
Gabrielle Stack ◽  
Qi Liang ◽  
Allan Bradley ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Typhoid toxin is a virulence factor of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, the causative agent of typhoid fever, and is thought to be responsible for the symptoms of severe disease. This toxin has a unique A2B5 architecture with two active subunits, the ADP ribosyl transferase PltA and the DNase CdtB, linked to a pentameric B subunit, which is alternatively made of PltB or PltC. Here, we describe the generation and characterization of typhoid toxin-neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies by immunizing genetically engineered mice that have a full set of human immunoglobulin variable region genes. We identified several monoclonal antibodies with strong in vitro and in vivo toxin-neutralizing activity and different mechanisms of toxin neutralization. These antibodies could serve as the basis for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against typhoid fever.


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