Document Type

Article

Version Deposited

Published Version

Publication Date

12-1-2023

Publication Title

Emerging Microbes & Infections

DOI

10.1080/22221751.2023.2245920

Abstract

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the first reported human oncogenic virus and infects more than 95% of the human population worldwide. EBV latent infection in B lymphocytes is essential for viral persistence. Glycoprotein gp42 is an indispensable member of the triggering complex for EBV entry into B cells. The C-type lectin domain (CTLD) of gp42 plays a key role in receptor binding and is the major target of neutralizing antibodies. Here, we isolated two rabbit antibodies, 1A7 and 6G7, targeting gp42 CTLD with potent neutralizing activity against B cell infection. Antibody 6G7 efficiently protects humanized mice from lethal EBV challenge and EBV-induced lymphoma. Neutralizing epitopes targeted by antibodies 1A7 and 6G7 are distinct and novel. Antibody 6G7 blocks gp42 binding to B cell surface and both 1A7 and 6G7 inhibit membrane fusion with B cells. Furthermore, 1A7- and 6G7-like antibodies in immunized sera are major contributors to B cell neutralization. This study demonstrates that anti-gp42 neutralizing antibodies are effective in inhibiting EBV infection and sheds light on the design of gp42-based vaccines and therapeutics.

Comments

© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group, on behalf of Shanghai Shangyixun Cultural Communication Co., Ltd.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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