Development of broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting the cytomegalovirus subdominant antigen gH.

ABSTRACT: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a β-herpesvirus that increases morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals including transplant recipients and newborns. New anti-HCMV therapies are an urgent medical need for diverse patient populations. HCMV infection of a broad range of host tissues is dependent on the gH/gL/gO trimer and gH/gL/UL28/UL130/UL131A pentamer complexes on the viral envelope. We sought to develop safe and effective therapeutics against HCMV by generating broadly-neutralizing, human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from VelocImmune® mice immunized with gH/gL cDNA. Following high-throughput binding and neutralization screening assays, 11 neutralizing antibodies were identified with unique CDR3 regions and a high-affinity (K_D 1.4-65 nM) to the pentamer complex.

SUBMITTER: Parsons AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9038728 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature