A Dynamic Landscape for Antibody Binding Modulates Antibody-Mediated Neutralization of West Nile Virus
Figure 5
Kinetic changes in neutralization occur for WNV MAbs specific for structurally distinct epitopes.
Nine serial four-fold dilutions of various WNV MAbs were incubated with mature WNV RVPs for one hour at room temperature to allow binding to reach equilibrium. RVP-antibody complexes were then incubated at 37°C or 40°C for incremental lengths of time before infecting Raji-DC-SIGNR cells. Infectivity was monitored by flow cytometry at 48 h post-infection. The reference curve represents RVP-antibody complexes added to Raji-DC-SIGNR cells immediately after the room temperature incubation. Dose-response curves are expressed relative to the infectivity of RVPs in the absence of antibody at each time point. Error bars display the standard error of duplicate infections. Results are representative of two independent experiments. MAbs selected for study were specific for epitopes on the DII-fusion loop (DII-fl) (A), the DII-central interface, DII-dimer interface, and DII-hinge interface (E48, E100, and E113, respectively) (B), the DIII-lateral ridge (DIII-lr) (C), and epitopes within DIII that fall outside of the lateral ridge (D).