Key element in human antibodies against COVID-19 discovered
A common feature found in many of the human antibodies that neutralize the novel coronavirus has been discovered by the scientists – a finding which they say can help successful vaccine development against coronavirus.
While many vaccine prospects have actually entered clinical trials, the scientists, including those from the Scripps Research Institute, US, said that the attributes of human antibodies that contribute to the most reliable immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 – stay vague.
In the research, published in the journal Science, they examined around 300 just recently identified human SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and revealed a gene frequently associated with those most efficient versus the coronavirus.
The scientists described that to infect human cells, the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses the receptor-binding domain (RBD) present on its spike protein to bind to the ACE2 receptor – host cell-surface receptor.
The scientists said that the antibodies which could target the receptor-binding domain
and block binding to the ACE2 receptor are highly researched, and many of them have been identified.In this research, a list of 294 such RBD-targeting antibodies was analyzed by the scientists consisting of Yuan Meng from the Scripps Research Institute.
A gene in the IGHV gene family, known as IGHV3-53 was discovered by the scientists, it is one of the most frequently used IGHV genes for targeting the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein in the virus.
The scientists stated that IGHV3-53 antibodies are a lot more potent in neutralizing the virus, along with having a lower mutation rate.
The researchers recognized the features which made them efficient and promising for vaccine development, by researching the 3D frameworks of 2 IGHV3-53 antibodies bound to the RBD.
The research noted, generally, the structural analysis reveals that IGHV3-53 provides a flexible framework to target the ACE2 binding site in RBD of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
According to scientists, the outcomes of the study can promote the design of vaccine agents that can evoke a solid neutralizing antibody response.
The scientists added that this particular antibody response could be typically generated throughout vaccination since IGHV3-53 is found at a reasonable frequency in healthy people.
Key element in human antibodies against COVID-19 discovered
Author: Sruthi S
