Dataset Information

Discovery of an antibody for pan-ebolavirus therapy.

ABSTRACT: During the latest outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, monoclonal antibody therapy (e.g., ZMapp) was utilized to treat patients. However, due to the antigenic differences among the five ebolavirus species, the current therapeutic monoclonal antibodies are only effective against viruses of the species Zaire ebolavirus. Although this particular species has indeed caused the majority of human infections in Central and, recently, West Africa, other ebolavirus species (e.g., Sudan ebolavirus and Bundibugyo ebolavirus) have also repeatedly caused outbreaks in Central Africa and thus should not be neglected in the development of countermeasures against ebolaviruses. Here we report the generation of an ebolavirus glycoprotein-specific monoclonal antibody that effectively inhibits cellular entry of representative isolates of all known ebolavirus species in vitro and show its protective efficacy in mouse models of ebolavirus infections. This novel neutralizing monoclonal antibody targets a highly conserved internal fusion loop in the glycoprotein molecule and prevents membrane fusion of the viral envelope with cellular membranes. The discovery of this highly cross-neutralizing antibody provides a promising option for broad-acting ebolavirus antibody therapy and will accelerate the design of improved vaccines that can selectively elicit cross-neutralizing antibodies against multiple species of ebolaviruses.

SUBMITTER: Furuyama W

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4748290 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Discovery of an antibody for pan-ebolavirus therapy.

Furuyama Wakako W Marzi Andrea A Nanbo Asuka A Haddock Elaine E Maruyama Junki J Miyamoto Hiroko H Igarashi Manabu M Yoshida Reiko R Noyori Osamu O Feldmann Heinz H Takada Ayato A

Scientific reports 20160210

During the latest outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, monoclonal antibody therapy (e.g., ZMapp) was utilized to treat patients. However, due to the antigenic differences among the five ebolavirus species, the current therapeutic monoclonal antibodies are only effective against viruses of the species Zaire ebolavirus. Although this particular species has indeed caused the majority of human infections in Central and, recently, West Africa, other ebolavirus species (e.g., Sudan ebolavir ...[more]

PMID: 26861827

Similar Datasets

Project description:Only one naturally occurring human antibody has been described thus far that is capable of potently neutralizing all five ebolaviruses. Here we present two crystal structures of this rare, pan-ebolavirus neutralizing human antibody in complex with Ebola virus and Bundibugyo virus glycoproteins (GPs), respectively. The structures delineate the key protein and glycan contacts for binding that are conserved across the ebolaviruses, explain the antibody's unique broad specificity and neutralization activity, and reveal the likely mechanism behind a known escape mutation in the fusion loop region of GP2. We found that the epitope of this antibody, ADI-15878, extends along the hydrophobic paddle of the fusion loop and then dips down into a highly conserved pocket beneath the N-terminal tail of GP2, a mode of recognition unlike any other antibody elicited against Ebola virus, and likely critical for its broad activity. The fold of Bundibugyo virus glycoprotein, not previously visualized, is similar to the fold of Ebola virus GP, and ADI-15878 binds to each virus's GP with a similar strategy and angle of attack. These findings will be useful in deployment of this antibody as a broad-spectrum therapeutic and in the design of immunogens that elicit the desired broadly neutralizing immune response against all members of the ebolavirus genus and filovirus family.IMPORTANCE There are five different members of the Ebolavirus genus. Provision of vaccines and treatments able to protect against any of the five ebolaviruses is an important goal of public health. Antibodies are a desired result of vaccines and can be delivered directly as therapeutics. Most antibodies, however, are effective against only one or two, not all, of these pathogens. Only one human antibody has been thus far described to neutralize all five ebolaviruses, antibody ADI-15878. Here we describe the molecular structure of ADI-15878 bound to the relevant target proteins of Ebola virus and Bundibugyo virus. We explain how it achieves its rare breadth of activity and propose strategies to design improved vaccines capable of eliciting more antibodies like ADI-15878.

Project description:The unprecedented 2014-2015 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa has highlighted the need for effective therapeutics against filoviruses. Monoclonal antibody (MAb) cocktails have shown great potential as EVD therapeutics; however, the existing protective MAbs are virus species specific. Here we report the development of pan-ebolavirus and pan-filovirus antibodies generated by repeated immunization of mice with filovirus glycoproteins engineered to drive the B cell responses toward conserved epitopes. Multiple pan-ebolavirus antibodies were identified that react to the Ebola, Sudan, Bundibugyo, and Reston viruses. A pan-filovirus antibody that was reactive to the receptor binding regions of all filovirus glycoproteins was also identified. Significant postexposure efficacy of several MAbs, including a novel antibody cocktail, was demonstrated. For the first time, we report cross-neutralization and in vivo protection against two highly divergent filovirus species, i.e., Ebola virus and Sudan virus, with a single antibody. Competition studies indicate that this antibody targets a previously unrecognized conserved neutralizing epitope that involves the glycan cap. Mechanistic studies indicated that, besides neutralization, innate immune cell effector functions may play a role in the antiviral activity of the antibodies. Our findings further suggest critical novel epitopes that can be utilized to design effective cocktails for broad protection against multiple filovirus species.Filoviruses represent a major public health threat in Africa and an emerging global concern. Largely driven by the U.S. biodefense funding programs and reinforced by the 2014 outbreaks, current immunotherapeutics are primarily focused on a single filovirus species called Ebola virus (EBOV) (formerly Zaire Ebola virus). However, other filoviruses including Sudan, Bundibugyo, and Marburg viruses have caused human outbreaks with mortality rates as high as 90%. Thus, cross-protective immunotherapeutics are urgently needed. Here, we describe monoclonal antibodies with cross-reactivity to several filoviruses, including the first report of a cross-neutralizing antibody that exhibits protection against Ebola virus and Sudan virus in mice. Our results further describe a novel combination of antibodies with enhanced protective efficacy. These results form a basis for further development of effective immunotherapeutics against filoviruses for human use. Understanding the cross-protective epitopes are also important for rational design of pan-ebolavirus and pan-filovirus vaccines.

Dataset Information

Discovery of an antibody for pan-ebolavirus therapy.

Publications

Discovery of an antibody for pan-ebolavirus therapy.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets