Download MendeleyIdentification of a seasonal influenza vaccine-induced broadly protective neuraminidase antibody.
Madsen, A., Okba, N.M.A., Pholcharee, T., Matz, H.C., Lv, H., Ibanez Trullen, M., Zhou, J.Q., Turner, J.S., Schmitz, A.J., Han, F., Horvath, S.C., Malladi, S.K., Krammer, F., Wu, N.C., Ellebedy, A.H.(2025) J Exp Medicine 222
- PubMed: 40178595
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20241930
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9DPC - PubMed Abstract:
Seasonal influenza viruses cause significant global illness and death annually, and the potential spillover of avian H5N1 poses a serious pandemic threat. Traditional influenza vaccines target the variable hemagglutinin (HA) protein, necessitating annual vaccine updates, while the slower-evolving neuraminidase (NA) presents a promising target for broader protection. We investigated the breadth of anti-NA B cell responses to seasonal influenza vaccination in humans. We screened plasmablast-derived monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from three donors, identifying 11 clonally distinct NA mAbs from 268 vaccine-specific mAbs. Among these, mAb-297 showed exceptionally broad NA inhibition, effectively protecting mice against lethal doses of influenza A and B viruses, including H5N1. We show that mAb-297 targets a common binding motif in the conserved NA active site. Our findings show that while B cell responses against NA following conventional, egg-derived influenza vaccines are rare, inducing broadly protective NA antibodies through such vaccination remains feasible, highlighting the importance of improving NA immunogens to develop a more broadly protective influenza vaccine.
- Influenza Centre, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Organizational Affiliation:
