Download MendeleyDistinct mechanisms of neutralization by antibodies targeting a conserved pneumovirus F epitope.
Ols, S., Arcoverde Cerveira, R., Borst, A.J., Bermudez-Mendez, E., Gegenfurtner, F., Eray, E., Weidle, C., Miranda, M.C., Peng, Z., Carr, K.D., Skotheim, R., Kochmann, J., Brunette, N., Lenart, K., Hanke, L., Karlsson Hedestam, G.B., Perez, L., Antanasijevic, A., King, N.P., Lore, K.(2026) bioRxiv
- PubMed: 42818254 Search on PubMedSearch on PubMed Central
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.21.749132
- Primary Citation Related Structures:
33SD - PubMed Abstract:
Pneumoviruses cause seasonal outbreaks leading to hospitalizations of vulnerable populations such as infants and the elderly. Cross-neutralizing antibodies targeting viral fusion have been isolated from infected individuals, but their elicitation and mechanisms of action remain understudied. Here, we describe two vaccine-elicited antibody classes, LOR24 and LOR69, that bind an overlapping epitope, and identify the somatic mutations that endow their breadth and potency, respectively. Cryo-electron microscopy structures of both antibodies bound to the HRSV fusion (F) protein show binding modes distinct from each other and from the previously described cross-neutralizing antibody MPE8, yet they all use similar motifs for binding. Complementary in vitro and electron microscopy experiments show that these antibodies either lock prefusion F as a trimer, arrest F in a monomeric or intermediate state, or promote the transition to the postfusion conformation. This work sheds light on mechanisms of pneumovirus neutralization and the elicitation of cross-neutralizing antibody responses.
- Division of Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
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