期刊名称：Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN：0027-8424
电子版ISSN：1091-6490
出版年度：2020
卷号：117
期号：47
页码：29795-29802
DOI：10.1073/pnas.2011385117
出版社：The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要：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.
