Neutralizing All SARS-CoV-2 Variants Through BA.5 by Inhibiting Membrane Fusion

 SAI LUO HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0002-7362-5445 JUN ZHANG HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0002-1289-0624ALEX J.B. KREUTZBERGER HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0002-9774-115XAMANDA EATON HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0003-3064-2947ROBERT J. EDWARDS HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0003-4446-1194CHANGBIN JING HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0003-0037-2712HAI-QIANG DAI HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0003-4337-9770GREGORY D. SEMPOWSKI HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0003-0391-6594KENNETH CRONIN HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0002-5984-5978[...]FREDERICK W. ALT HTTPS://ORCID.ORG/0000-0002-0583-1271  Authors Info & Affiliations

DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.add5446

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variants have generated a world-wide health crisis due to resistance to most approved SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and evasion of vaccination-induced antibodies. To manage Omicron sub-variants and prepare for potential new variants, additional means of isolating broad and potent humanized SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies are desirable. Here, we describe a mouse model in which the primary B cell receptor (BCR) repertoire is generated solely through V(D)J recombination of a human VH1-2 heavy chain (HC) and, substantially, a human Vκ1-33 light chain (LC). Thus, primary humanized BCR repertoire diversity in these mice derives from immensely diverse HC and LC antigen-contact complementarity-region-3 (CDR3) sequences generated by non-templated junctional modifications during V(D)J recombination. Immunizing the human VH1-2/Vκ1-33-rearranging mouse model with SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan-Hu-1) spike protein immunogens elicited several VH1-2/Vκ1-33-based neutralizing antibodies that bound RBD in a different mode from each other and from those of many prior human patient-derived VH1-2-based neutralizing antibodies. Of these, SP1-77 potently and broadly neutralized all SARS-CoV-2 variants through BA.5. Cryo-EM studies revealed that SP1-77 bound RBD away from the receptor-binding-motif via a CDR3-dominated recognition mode. Lattice-light-sheet-microscopy-based studies showed that SP1-77 did not block ACE2-mediated viral attachment or endocytosis, but rather blocked viral-host membrane fusion. The broad and potent SP1-77 neutralization activity and non-traditonal mechanism of action suggest this antibody might have therapeutic potential. Likewise, the SP1-77 binding epitope may further inform on vacccine strategies. Finally, the general class of humanized mouse models we have described may contribute to identifying therapeutic antibodies against future SARS-CoV-2 variants and other pathogens.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.add5446