據(jù)2月27日的《科學》雜志報道說,，美國斯克利普斯研究所(TSRI)的Damian Ekiert及其同事披露了有關如何將一個人類的抗體與某一關鍵性流感蛋白結合的細節(jié),，該結合能夠幫助人們研發(fā)針對季節(jié)性和大規(guī)模流行性感冒病毒的廣譜疫苗。
這種叫做CR6261的抗體會與流感病毒血凝素蛋白的一個高度保守（即其結構在許多不同的流感病毒株中都非常相似）的區(qū)域結合,。這一發(fā)現(xiàn)對那些希望設計一種較為“通用型”的流感疫苗的研究人員來說是一個好消息,，因為該通用型疫苗可以中和多種流感病毒株并減弱新的流感大流行所造成的影響。
目前,，人們對流感病毒的設計需要每年都進行猜測,，以決定在流行季節(jié)中哪種病毒株將會流行。 Ekiert及其同僚對與CR6261結合的造成1918年致命性流感的病毒的血凝素蛋白的晶體結構以及該抗體與最近在亞洲造成禽流感爆發(fā)有關的病毒株的血凝素蛋白結合的晶體結構進行了檢測,。 在這兩種情況下,，該抗體似乎都阻止了血凝素發(fā)生使病毒與一個健康細胞融合所需要的那些變化。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Science,，DOI: 10.1126/science.1171491,，Damian C. Ekiert，Ian A. Wilson
Antibody Recognition of a Highly Conserved Influenza Virus Epitope
Damian C. Ekiert 1, Gira Bhabha 1, Marc-André Elsliger 1, Robert H. E. Friesen 2, Mandy Jongeneelen 2, Mark Throsby 2, Jaap Goudsmit 2, Ian A. Wilson 3*
1 Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
2 Crucell Holland BV, Archimedesweg 4-6, 2301 CA Leiden, The Netherlands.
3 Department of Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.; The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Influenza virus presents a significant and persistent threat to public health worldwide, and current vaccines provide immunity to viral isolates similar to the vaccine strain. High-affinity antibodies against a conserved epitope could provide immunity to the diverse influenza subtypes and protection against future pandemic viruses. Co-crystal structures were determined at 2.2 and 2.7 ? resolutions for broadly neutralizing human antibody CR6261 Fab in complexes with the major surface antigen (hemagglutinin, HA) from viruses responsible for the 1918 H1N1 influenza pandemic and a recent lethal case of H5N1 avian influenza. In contrast to other structurally characterized influenza antibodies, CR6261 recognizes a highly conserved helical region in the membrane-proximal stem of HA1/HA2. The antibody neutralizes the virus by blocking conformational rearrangements associated with membrane fusion. The CR6261 epitope identified here should accelerate the design and implementation of improved vaccines that can elicit CR6261-like antibodies, as well as antibody-based therapies for the treatment of influenza.
