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      A Dynamic Landscape for Antibody Binding Modulates Antibody-Mediated Neutralization of West Nile Virus

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          Abstract

          Neutralizing antibodies are a significant component of the host's protective response against flavivirus infection. Neutralization of flaviviruses occurs when individual virions are engaged by antibodies with a stoichiometry that exceeds a required threshold. From this “multiple-hit” perspective, the neutralizing activity of antibodies is governed by the affinity with which it binds its epitope and the number of times this determinant is displayed on the surface of the virion. In this study, we investigated time-dependent changes in the fate of West Nile virus (WNV) decorated with antibody in solution. Experiments with the well-characterized neutralizing monoclonal antibody (MAb) E16 revealed a significant increase in neutralization activity over time that could not be explained by the kinetics of antibody binding, virion aggregation, or the action of complement. Additional kinetic experiments using the fusion-loop specific MAb E53, which has limited neutralizing activity because it recognizes a relatively inaccessible epitope on mature virions, identified a role of virus “breathing” in regulating neutralization activity. Remarkably, MAb E53 neutralized mature WNV in a time- and temperature-dependent manner. This phenomenon was confirmed in studies with a large panel of MAbs specific for epitopes in each domain of the WNV envelope protein, with sera from recipients of a live attenuated WNV vaccine, and in experiments with dengue virus. Given enough time, significant inhibition of infection was observed even for antibodies with very limited, or no neutralizing activity in standard neutralization assays. Together, our data suggests that the structural dynamics of flaviviruses impacts antibody-mediated neutralization via exposure of otherwise inaccessible epitopes, allowing for antibodies to dock on the virion with a stoichiometry sufficient for neutralization.

          Author Summary

          Neutralizing antibodies are a critical aspect of protection from flavivirus infection. The primary targets of neutralizing antibodies are the envelope (E) proteins incorporated into virions. The neutralizing activity of antibodies is determined by the affinity with which they interact with the virion, and the total number of sites available for binding. In this study, we investigate the impact of dynamic motion of the viral E proteins on antibody-mediated neutralization. Using panels of monoclonal antibodies and immune sera, we demonstrate that the dynamic motion of virions significantly impacts antibody-mediated neutralization of West Nile and dengue viruses by modulating epitope accessibility. Increasing the length of the interactions between antibody and virus resulted in increased neutralization reflecting engagement of epitopes that are not exposed on the surface of the virion in its average state, but instead become accessible through the dynamic motion of E proteins. While examples of the impact of structural dynamics on antibody binding have been described previously, our data suggests this phenomenon plays a role in neutralization by all antibodies that bind the array of E proteins on the virion. Our data identifies epitope accessibility as a critical, yet dynamic, factor that governs the neutralizing activity of anti-flavivirus antibodies.

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          Most cited references57

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          Prospects for a dengue virus vaccine.

          The number of cases of severe dengue disease continues to grow in endemic areas of southeast Asia, Central and South America, and other subtropical regions. Children bear the greatest burden of disease, and the development of an effective vaccine remains a global public health priority. A tetravalent vaccine is urgently needed and must be effective against all four dengue virus serotypes, be cost-effective and provide long-term protection. In this Review we discuss the unique immunological concerns in dengue virus vaccine development and the current prospects for the development of an acceptable vaccine, a goal that is likely to be reached in the near future.
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            Neutralization and antibody-dependent enhancement of dengue viruses.

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              Inhibition of interferon signaling by dengue virus.

              Dengue virus is a worldwide-distributed mosquito-borne flavivirus with a positive strand RNA genome. Its transcribed polyprotein is cleaved by host- and virus-encoded peptidases into 10 proteins, some of which are of unknown function. Although dengue virus-infected cells seem to be resistant to the antiviral action of IFN, the viral products that mediate this resistance are unknown. Therefore, we have analyzed the ability of the 10 dengue virus-encoded proteins to antagonize the IFN response. We found that expression in human A549 cells of the dengue virus nonstructural proteins NS2A, NS4A, or NS4B enhances replication of an IFN-sensitive virus. Moreover, expression of NS4B and, to a lesser extent, of NS2A and NS4A proteins results in down-regulation of IFN-beta-stimulated gene expression. Cells expressing NS4B or infected with dengue virus do not exhibit nuclear signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 1 on treatment with IFN-beta or IFN-gamma, indicating that NS4B might be involved in blocking IFN signaling during dengue virus infections. This protein, encoded by a positive strand RNA virus, is implicated as an IFN-signaling inhibitor.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Role: Editor
                Journal
                PLoS Pathog
                plos
                plospath
                PLoS Pathogens
                Public Library of Science (San Francisco, USA )
                1553-7366
                1553-7374
                June 2011
                June 2011
                30 June 2011
                : 7
                : 6
                : e1002111
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Viral Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Viral Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
                [2 ]Center for Immunization Research, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
                [3 ]Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
                Institut Pasteur, France
                Author notes

                Conceived and designed the experiments: KAD CAJ TCP. Performed the experiments: KAD CAJ. Analyzed the data: KAD CAJ TCP. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: APD SSW. Wrote the paper: KAD CAJ TCP.

                Article
                PPATHOGENS-D-10-00370
                10.1371/journal.ppat.1002111
                3128118
                21738473
                0f28b193-29cf-47d1-8bbb-9706447d6c93
                This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.
                History
                : 16 November 2010
                : 24 April 2011
                Page count
                Pages: 14
                Categories
                Research Article
                Biology
                Microbiology
                Immunity
                Humoral Immunity
                Host-Pathogen Interaction
                Medicine
                Infectious Diseases
                Tropical Diseases (Non-Neglected)
                Flavivirus

                Infectious disease & Microbiology
                Infectious disease & Microbiology

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