Structure and immunogenicity of an engineered soluble prefusion-stabilized EBV gB antigen.

ABSTRACT: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the causative agent of mononucleosis, is linked to over 140,000 annual cancer-related deaths globally and increases the risk of multiple sclerosis by up to 32-fold. As a herpesvirus, EBV establishes lifelong infection, and over 90% of U.S. adults are EBV-seropositive. Despite its significant disease burden, no approved EBV vaccines or therapeutics exist. Among EBV envelope glycoproteins, the fusion protein (gB) is strictly required for epithelial and B cell infection. Here, using a combination of AlphaFold-guided modeling, rational design, and ThermoMPNN-informed optimization, we engineer a stabilized prefusion gB variant, C3-GT. This construct incorporates two inter-protomeric disulfide bonds and three cavity-filling substitutions, resulting in a melting temperat

SUBMITTER: McCool RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12859058 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature