The bulky and the sweet: How neutralizing antibodies and glycan receptors compete for virus binding

Enzymatic Sialylation of Synthetic Multivalent Scaffolds: From 3'-Sialyllactose Glycomacromolecules to Novel Neoglycosides

Sialoglycans play a key role in many biological recognition processes and sialylated conjugates of various types have successfully been applied, e.g., as antivirals or in antitumor therapy. A key feature for high affinity binding of such conjugates is the multivalent presentation of sialoglycans which often possess synthetic challenges. Here, the combination is described of solid phase polymer synthesis and enzymatic sialylation yielding 3'-sialyllactose-presenting precision glycomacromolecules. CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase from Neisseria meningitidis (NmCSS) and sialyltransferase from Pasteurella multocida (PmST1) are combined in a one-pot reaction giving access to sequence-defined sialylated macromolecules. Surprisingly, when employing Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris) as a buffer, formation of significant amounts of α-linked Tris-sialoside is observed as a side reaction. Further exploring and exploiting this unusual sialylation reaction, different neoglycosidic structures are synthesized showing that PmST1 can be used to derive both, sialylation on natural carbohydrates as well as on synthetic hydroxylated scaffolds.

Identification and Structure of a Multidonor Class of Head-Directed Influenza-Neutralizing Antibodies Reveal the Mechanism for Its Recurrent Elicitation

Multidonor antibodies are of interest for vaccine design because they can in principle be elicited in the general population by a common set of immunogens. For influenza, multidonor antibodies have been observed against the hemagglutinin (HA) stem, but not the immunodominant HA head. Here, we identify and characterize a multidonor antibody class (LPAF-a class) targeting the HA head. This class exhibits potent viral entry inhibition against H1N1 A/California/04/2009 (CA09) virus. LPAF-a class antibodies derive from the HV2-70 gene and contain a "Tyr-Gly-Asp"-motif, which occludes the HA-sialic acid binding site as revealed by a co-crystal structure with HA. Both germline-reverted and mature LPAF antibodies potently neutralize CA09 virus and have nanomolar affinities for CA09 HA. Moreover, increased frequencies for LPFA-a class antibodies are observed in humans after a single vaccination. Overall, this work highlights the identification of a multidonor class of head-directed influenza-neutralizing antibodies and delineates the mechanism of their recurrent elicitation in humans.

Layer-By-Layer Nanocoating of Antiviral Polysaccharides on Surfaces to Prevent Coronavirus Infections

In 2020, the world is being ravaged by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which causes a severe respiratory disease, Covid-19. Hundreds of thousands of people have succumbed to the disease. Efforts at curing the disease are aimed at finding a vaccine and/or developing antiviral drugs. Despite these efforts, the WHO warned that the virus might never be eradicated. Countries around the world have instated non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing and wearing of masks in public to curb the spreading of the disease. Antiviral polysaccharides provide the ideal opportunity to combat the pathogen via pharmacotherapeutic applications. However, a layer-by-layer nanocoating approach is also envisioned to coat surfaces to which humans are exposed that could harbor pathogenic coronaviruses. By coating masks, clothing, and work surfaces in wet markets among others, these antiviral polysaccharides can ensure passive prevention of the spreading of the virus. It poses a so-called "eradicate-in-place" measure against the virus. Antiviral polysaccharides also provide a green chemistry pathway to virus eradication since these molecules are primarily of biological origin and can be modified by minimal synthetic approaches. They are biocompatible as well as biodegradable. This surface passivation approach could provide a powerful measure against the spreading of coronaviruses.

Initial Step of Virus Entry: Virion Binding to Cell-Surface Glycans

Virus infection is an intricate process that requires the concerted action of both viral and host cell components. Entry of viruses into cells is initiated by interactions between viral proteins and cell-surface receptors. Various cell-surface glycans function as initial, usually low-affinity attachment factors, providing a first anchor of the virus to the cell surface, and further facilitate high-affinity binding to virus-specific cell-surface receptors, while other glycans function as specific entry receptors themselves. It is now possible to rapidly identify specific glycan receptors using different techniques, define atomic-level structures of virus-glycan complexes, and study these interactions at the single-virion level. This review provides a detailed overview of the role of glycans in viral infection and highlights experimental approaches to study virus-glycan binding along with specific examples. In particular, we highlight the development of the atomic force microscope to investigate interactions with glycans at the single-virion level directly on living mammalian cells, which offers new perspectives to better understand virus-glycan interactions in physiologically relevant conditions.

In Depth Breadth Analyses of Human Blockade Responses to Norovirus and Response to Vaccination

To evaluate and understand the efficacy of vaccine candidates, supportive immunological measures are needed. Critical attributes for a norovirus vaccine are the strength and breadth of antibody responses against the many different genotypes. In the absence of suitable neutralization assays to test samples from vaccine clinical trials, blockade assays offer a method that can measure functional antibodies specific for many of the different norovirus strains. This paper describes development and optimization of blockade assays for an extended panel of 20 different norovirus strains that can provide robust and reliable data needed for vaccine assessment. The blockade assays were used to test a panel of human clinical samples taken before and after vaccination with the Takeda TAK-214 norovirus vaccine. Great variability was evident in the repertoire of blocking antibody responses prevaccination and postvaccination among individuals. Following vaccination with TAK-214, blocking antibody levels were enhanced across a wide spectrum of different genotypes. The results indicate that adults may have multiple exposures to norovirus and that the magnitude and breadth of the complex preexisting antibody response can be boosted and expanded by vaccination.

Glycans Controlling Virus Infections: Meeting Report on the 1st International Symposium on Glycovirology Schöntal, Germany, 02⁻04 May 2018

Glycans are, with nucleic acids, proteins and lipids, one of the four founding structures of cellular life. Due to their non-template synthesis, they are inherently heterogeneous and difficult to study with regards to their structure and function. Since 2016, the research group ViroCarb, funded by the German Research Foundation, has investigated the role of glycans in non-enveloped virus infections with a highly interdisciplinary approach. The core idea was to bring together scientists and students from various disciplines such as structural biology, cell biology, virology and chemistry to advance research by an interdisciplinary means. In 2018, ViroCarb hosted the 1st International Symposium on Glycovirology in Schöntal, Germany, with a similar aim. Scientists from various disciplines gathered to discuss their area of study, present recent findings, establish or strengthen collaborations, and mentor the next generation of glycovirologists through formal presentations and informal discussions. The secluded meeting at the monastery of Schöntal gave ample time for in-depth discussions. On behalf of ViroCarb, this report summarizes the reports and highlights advances in the field.