PropertyValue
?:abstract
  • Meningococcal meningitis remains a substantial cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Until recently, countries in the African meningitis belt were susceptible to devastating outbreaks, largely attributed to serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis (MenA). Vaccination with glycoconjugates of MenA capsular polysaccharide led to an almost complete elimination of MenA clinical cases. To understand the molecular basis of vaccine-induced protection, we generated a panel of oligosaccharide fragments of different lengths and tested them with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies by inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, surface plasmon resonance, and competitive human serum bactericidal assay, which is a surrogate for protection. The epitope was shown to optimize between three and six repeating units and to be O-acetylated. The molecular interactions between a protective monoclonal antibody and a MenA capsular polysaccharide fragment were further elucidated at the atomic level by saturation transfer difference NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The epitope consists of a trisaccharide anchored to the antibody via the O- and N-acetyl moieties through either H-bonding or CH–π interactions. In silico docking showed that 3-O-acetylation of the upstream residue is essential for antibody binding, while O-acetate could be equally accommodated at three and four positions of the other two residues. These results shed light on the mechanism of action of current MenA vaccines and provide a foundation for the rational design of improved therapies.
is ?:annotates of
?:creator
?:doi
?:doi
  • 10.1073/pnas.2011385117
?:journal
  • Proc_Natl_Acad_Sci_U_S_A
?:license
  • cc-by-nc-nd
?:pdf_json_files
  • document_parses/pdf_json/59e7bd0cb43e48f791ae362b6ba97491da05df3f.json; document_parses/pdf_json/85f6eca3d1c34be1f20e68ab40a88f9ecfcac368.json
?:pmc_json_files
  • document_parses/pmc_json/PMC7703565.xml.json
?:pmcid
?:pmid
?:pmid
  • 33158970.0
?:publication_isRelatedTo_Disease
?:sha_id
?:source
  • Medline; PMC
?:title
  • Structure of a protective epitope reveals the importance of acetylation of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A capsular polysaccharide
?:type
?:year
  • 2020-11-24

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