A shared structural solution for neutralizing ebolaviruses

Dias JM, Kuehne AI, Abelson DM, Wong AC, Halfmann P, Muhammad M, Kang E, Zak S, Fusco ML, Kawaoka Y, Chandran K, Dye JM, Saphire EO. 2011. Nature Struct Mol Biol 18:1424-1427.

[doi: 10.1038/nsmb.2150]  [Download PDF]


ABSTRACT

Sudan virus (genus Ebolavirus) is lethal, yet no monoclonal antibody is known to neutralize it. We here describe antibody 16F6 that neutralizes Sudan virus and present its structure bound to the trimeric viral glycoprotein. Unexpectedly, the 16F6 epitope overlaps that of KZ52, the only other antibody against the GP1,2 core to be visualized to date. Furthermore, both antibodies against this crucial epitope bridging GP1–GP2 neutralize at a post-internalization step—probably fusion.