Structure- based design of a soluble human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B antigen stabilized in a prefusion- like conformation

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Sponholtz, Madeline R.; Byrne, Patrick O.; Lee, Alison G.; Ramamohan, Ajit R.; Goldsmith, Jory A.; McCool, Ryan S.; Zhou, Ling; Johnson, Nicole V.; Hsieh, Ching- Lin; Connors, Megan; Karthigeyan, Krithika P.; Crooks, Chelsea M.; Fuller, Adelaide S.; Campbell, John D.; Permar, Sallie R.; Maynard, Jennifer A.; Yu, Dong; Bottomley, Matthew J.; McLellan, Jason S.
• 署名单位: University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; Cornell University; Weill Cornell Medicine; Dynavax Technologies; University of Texas System; University of Texas Austin; GlaxoSmithKline
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-15355
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2404250121
• 发表日期: 2024-09-10
• 关键词: endothelial/epithelial cells; virus; fusion; vaccine; infection; protein; fibroblasts; prevention; adjuvant; entry

摘要

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein B (gB) is a class III membrane fusion protein required for viral entry. HCMV vaccine candidates containing gB have demonstrated moderate clinical efficacy, but no HCMV vaccine has been approved. Here, we used structure- based design to identify and characterize amino acid substitutions that stabilize gB in its metastable prefusion conformation. One variant containing two engineered interprotomer disulfide bonds and two cavity- filling substitutions (gB-C7), displayed increased expression and thermostability. A 2.8 & Aring; resolution cryoelectron microscopy structure shows that gB-C7 adopts a prefusion-like conformation, revealing additional structural elements at the membrane- distal apex. Unlike previous observations for several class I viral fusion proteins, mice immunized with postfusion or prefusion- stabilized forms of soluble gB protein displayed similar neutralizing antibody titers, here specifically against an HCMV laboratory strain on fibroblasts. Collectively, these results identify initial strategies to stabilize class III viral fusion proteins and provide tools to probe gB- directed antibody responses.