Structure-based design of a single-chain triple-disulfide-stabilized fusion-glycoprotein trimer that elicits high-titer neutralizing responses against human metapneumovirus.

The Pneumoviridae family of viruses includes human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The closely related Paramyxoviridae family includes parainfluenza viruses (PIVs). These three viral pathogens cause acute respiratory tract infections with substantial disease burden in t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Li Ou, Steven J Chen, I-Ting Teng, Lijuan Yang, Baoshan Zhang, Tongqing Zhou, Andrea Biju, Cheng Cheng, Wing-Pui Kong, Nicholas C Morano, Erik-Stephane D Stancofski, John-Paul Todd, Yaroslav Tsybovsky, Shuishu Wang, Cheng-Yan Zheng, John R Mascola, Lawrence Shapiro, Ruth A Woodward, Ursula J Buchholz, Peter D Kwong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2023-09-01
Series:PLoS Pathogens
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1011584&type=printable
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849521461045231616
author Li Ou
Steven J Chen
I-Ting Teng
Lijuan Yang
Baoshan Zhang
Tongqing Zhou
Andrea Biju
Cheng Cheng
Wing-Pui Kong
Nicholas C Morano
Erik-Stephane D Stancofski
John-Paul Todd
Yaroslav Tsybovsky
Shuishu Wang
Cheng-Yan Zheng
John R Mascola
Lawrence Shapiro
Ruth A Woodward
Ursula J Buchholz
Peter D Kwong
author_facet Li Ou
Steven J Chen
I-Ting Teng
Lijuan Yang
Baoshan Zhang
Tongqing Zhou
Andrea Biju
Cheng Cheng
Wing-Pui Kong
Nicholas C Morano
Erik-Stephane D Stancofski
John-Paul Todd
Yaroslav Tsybovsky
Shuishu Wang
Cheng-Yan Zheng
John R Mascola
Lawrence Shapiro
Ruth A Woodward
Ursula J Buchholz
Peter D Kwong
author_sort Li Ou
collection DOAJ
description The Pneumoviridae family of viruses includes human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The closely related Paramyxoviridae family includes parainfluenza viruses (PIVs). These three viral pathogens cause acute respiratory tract infections with substantial disease burden in the young, the elderly, and the immune-compromised. While promising subunit vaccines are being developed with prefusion-stabilized forms of the fusion glycoproteins (Fs) of RSV and PIVs, for which neutralizing titers elicited by the prefusion (pre-F) conformation of F are much higher than for the postfusion (post-F) conformation, with HMPV, pre-F and post-F immunogens described thus far elicit similar neutralizing responses, and it has been unclear which conformation, pre-F or post-F, would be the most effective HMPV F-vaccine immunogen. Here, we investigate the impact of further stabilizing HMPV F in the pre-F state. We replaced the furin-cleavage site with a flexible linker, creating a single chain F that yielded increased amounts of pre-F stabilized trimers, enabling the generation and assessment of F trimers stabilized by multiple disulfide bonds. Introduced prolines could increase both expression yields and antigenic recognition by the pre-F specific antibody, MPE8. The cryo-EM structure of a triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F trimer with the variable region of antibody MPE8 at 3.25-Å resolution confirmed the formation of designed disulfides and provided structural details on the MPE8 interface. Immunogenicity assessments in naïve mice showed the triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F trimer could elicit high titer neutralization, >10-fold higher than elicited by post-F. Immunogenicity assessments in pre-exposed rhesus macaques showed the triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F could recall high neutralizing titers after a single immunization, with little discrimination in the recall response between pre-F and post-F immunogens. However, the triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F adsorbed HMPV-directed responses from commercially available pooled human immunoglobulin more fully than post-F. Collectively, these results suggest single-chain triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F trimers to be promising HMPV-vaccine antigens.
format Article
id doaj-art-fd9c2d280940481c856c94d7c813316a
institution Kabale University
issn 1553-7366
1553-7374
language English
publishDate 2023-09-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS Pathogens
spelling doaj-art-fd9c2d280940481c856c94d7c813316a2025-08-20T03:25:46ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Pathogens1553-73661553-73742023-09-01199e101158410.1371/journal.ppat.1011584Structure-based design of a single-chain triple-disulfide-stabilized fusion-glycoprotein trimer that elicits high-titer neutralizing responses against human metapneumovirus.Li OuSteven J ChenI-Ting TengLijuan YangBaoshan ZhangTongqing ZhouAndrea BijuCheng ChengWing-Pui KongNicholas C MoranoErik-Stephane D StancofskiJohn-Paul ToddYaroslav TsybovskyShuishu WangCheng-Yan ZhengJohn R MascolaLawrence ShapiroRuth A WoodwardUrsula J BuchholzPeter D KwongThe Pneumoviridae family of viruses includes human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The closely related Paramyxoviridae family includes parainfluenza viruses (PIVs). These three viral pathogens cause acute respiratory tract infections with substantial disease burden in the young, the elderly, and the immune-compromised. While promising subunit vaccines are being developed with prefusion-stabilized forms of the fusion glycoproteins (Fs) of RSV and PIVs, for which neutralizing titers elicited by the prefusion (pre-F) conformation of F are much higher than for the postfusion (post-F) conformation, with HMPV, pre-F and post-F immunogens described thus far elicit similar neutralizing responses, and it has been unclear which conformation, pre-F or post-F, would be the most effective HMPV F-vaccine immunogen. Here, we investigate the impact of further stabilizing HMPV F in the pre-F state. We replaced the furin-cleavage site with a flexible linker, creating a single chain F that yielded increased amounts of pre-F stabilized trimers, enabling the generation and assessment of F trimers stabilized by multiple disulfide bonds. Introduced prolines could increase both expression yields and antigenic recognition by the pre-F specific antibody, MPE8. The cryo-EM structure of a triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F trimer with the variable region of antibody MPE8 at 3.25-Å resolution confirmed the formation of designed disulfides and provided structural details on the MPE8 interface. Immunogenicity assessments in naïve mice showed the triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F trimer could elicit high titer neutralization, >10-fold higher than elicited by post-F. Immunogenicity assessments in pre-exposed rhesus macaques showed the triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F could recall high neutralizing titers after a single immunization, with little discrimination in the recall response between pre-F and post-F immunogens. However, the triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F adsorbed HMPV-directed responses from commercially available pooled human immunoglobulin more fully than post-F. Collectively, these results suggest single-chain triple disulfide-stabilized pre-F trimers to be promising HMPV-vaccine antigens.https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1011584&type=printable
spellingShingle Li Ou
Steven J Chen
I-Ting Teng
Lijuan Yang
Baoshan Zhang
Tongqing Zhou
Andrea Biju
Cheng Cheng
Wing-Pui Kong
Nicholas C Morano
Erik-Stephane D Stancofski
John-Paul Todd
Yaroslav Tsybovsky
Shuishu Wang
Cheng-Yan Zheng
John R Mascola
Lawrence Shapiro
Ruth A Woodward
Ursula J Buchholz
Peter D Kwong
Structure-based design of a single-chain triple-disulfide-stabilized fusion-glycoprotein trimer that elicits high-titer neutralizing responses against human metapneumovirus.
PLoS Pathogens
title Structure-based design of a single-chain triple-disulfide-stabilized fusion-glycoprotein trimer that elicits high-titer neutralizing responses against human metapneumovirus.
title_full Structure-based design of a single-chain triple-disulfide-stabilized fusion-glycoprotein trimer that elicits high-titer neutralizing responses against human metapneumovirus.
title_fullStr Structure-based design of a single-chain triple-disulfide-stabilized fusion-glycoprotein trimer that elicits high-titer neutralizing responses against human metapneumovirus.
title_full_unstemmed Structure-based design of a single-chain triple-disulfide-stabilized fusion-glycoprotein trimer that elicits high-titer neutralizing responses against human metapneumovirus.
title_short Structure-based design of a single-chain triple-disulfide-stabilized fusion-glycoprotein trimer that elicits high-titer neutralizing responses against human metapneumovirus.
title_sort structure based design of a single chain triple disulfide stabilized fusion glycoprotein trimer that elicits high titer neutralizing responses against human metapneumovirus
url https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1011584&type=printable
work_keys_str_mv AT liou structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT stevenjchen structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT itingteng structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT lijuanyang structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT baoshanzhang structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT tongqingzhou structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT andreabiju structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT chengcheng structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT wingpuikong structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT nicholascmorano structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT erikstephanedstancofski structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT johnpaultodd structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT yaroslavtsybovsky structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT shuishuwang structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT chengyanzheng structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT johnrmascola structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT lawrenceshapiro structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT ruthawoodward structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT ursulajbuchholz structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus
AT peterdkwong structurebaseddesignofasinglechaintripledisulfidestabilizedfusionglycoproteintrimerthatelicitshightiterneutralizingresponsesagainsthumanmetapneumovirus