Neutralization of European, S. African, and U.S. SARS-CoV-2 mutants by human antibody and antibody domains

  

View ORCID ProfileZehua Sun, Andrew Kim, Michele D Sobolewski, Nathan Enick, Chuan Chen, Cynthia Adams, Jana L Jacobs, Kevin D McCormick, John W. Mellors, Dimiter S Dimitrov, Wei Li

doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.22.436481

This article is a preprint and has not been certified by peer review [what does this mean?].

PDF: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.22.436481v1.full.pdf

Abstract

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission with several emerging variants remain uncontrolled in many countries, indicating the pandemic remains severe. Recent studies showed reduction of neutralization against these emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants by vaccine-elicited antibodies. Among those emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, a panel of amino acid mutations was characterized including those in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein. In the present study, we evaluated our previously identified antibody and antibody domains for binding to these RBD variants with the emerging mutations, and neutralization of pseudo typed viruses carrying spike proteins with such mutations. Our results showed that one previously identified antibody domain, ab6, can bind 32 out of 35 RBD mutants tested in an ELISA assay. All three antibodies and antibody domains can neutralize pseudo typed B.1.1.7 (UK variant), but only the antibody domain ab6 can neutralize the pseudo typed virus with the triple mutation (K417N, E484K, N501Y). This domain and its improvements have potential for therapy of infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 mutants.

Competing Interest Statement

Z.S., C.C., J.W.M., D.S.D., and W.L. are co-inventors of a patent, US Patent 10,822,379, filed by the University of Pittsburgh on March 12, 2020, related to antibodies described in this paper. J.W.M. and D.S.D. are employed by Abound Bio, a company which is developing some of the antibodies for human use.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.22.436481v1