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Naturally selected hepatitis C virus polymorphisms confer broad neutralizing antibody resistance
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Naturally selected hepatitis C virus polymorphisms confer broad neutralizing antibody resistance

Justin R. Bailey, Lisa N. Wasilewski, Anna E. Snider, Ramy El-Diwany, William O. Osburn, Zhenyong Keck, Steven K. H. Foung and Stuart C. Ray
The Journal of clinical investigation, Vol.125(1), pp.437-447
01/01/2015
DOI: 10.1172/JCI78794
PMCID: PMC4382262
PMID: 25500884
url
https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI78794View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

For hepatitis C virus (HCV) and other highly variable viruses, broadly neutralizing mAbs are an important guide for vaccine development. The development of resistance to anti-HCV mAbs is poorly understood, in part due to a lack of neutralization testing against diverse, representative panels of HCV variants. Here, we developed a neutralization panel expressing diverse, naturally occurring HCV envelopes (E1E2s) and used this panel to characterize neutralizing breadth and resistance mechanisms of 18 previously described broadly neutralizing anti-HCV human mAbs. The observed mAb resistance could not be attributed to polymorphisms in E1E2 at known mAb-binding residues. Additionally, hierarchical clustering analysis of neutralization resistance patterns revealed relationships between mAbs that were not predicted by prior epitope mapping, identifying 3 distinct neutralization clusters. Using this clustering analysis and envelope sequence data, we identified polymorphisms in E2 that confer resistance to multiple broadly neutralizing mAbs. These polymorphisms, which are not at mAb contact residues, also conferred resistance to neutralization by plasma from HCV-infected subjects. Together, our method of neutralization clustering with sequence analysis reveals that polymorphisms at noncontact residues may be a major immune evasion mechanism for HCV, facilitating viral persistence and presenting a challenge for HCV vaccine development.
Life Sciences & Biomedicine Medicine, Research & Experimental Research & Experimental Medicine Science & Technology

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