Fine Specificity Epitope Analysis by HX-MS Identifies Contact Points on Ricin Toxin Recognized by Protective Monoclonal Antibodies

Van Slyke, G.; Angalakurthi, S. K.; Toth, R. T.; Vance, D. J.; Rong, Y.; Ehrbar, D.; Shi, Y.; Middaught, C. R.; Volkin, D.; Weis, D.; Mantis, N.

doi:10.1101/345561

bioRxiv · 10.1101/345561

Fine Specificity Epitope Analysis by HX-MS Identifies Contact Points on Ricin Toxin Recognized by Protective Monoclonal Antibodies

Van Slyke, G.·Angalakurthi, S. K.·Toth, R. T.·Vance, D. J.·Rong, Y.·Ehrbar, D.·Shi, Y.·Middaught, C. R.·Volkin, D.·Weis, D.·Mantis, N.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Ricin is a fast-acting protein toxin classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a biothreat agent. In this report we describe five new mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against an immunodominant region, so-called epitope cluster II, on the surface of ricins ribosome-inactivating enzymatic subunit, RTA. The five mAbs were tested alongside four previously described cluster II-specific mAbs for their capacity to passively protect mice against 10 x LD50 ricin challenge by injection. Only three of the mAbs (LE4, PH12 and TB12) afforded protection over the seven-day study period. Neither binding affinity nor in vitro toxin-neutralizing activity could fully account for LE4, PH12 and TB12s potent in vivo activity relative to the other six mAbs. However, epitope mapping studies by hydrogen exchange-mass spectrometry (HX-MS) revealed that LE4, PH12 and TB12 shared common contact points (i.e., \"strong\" protection by HX-MS) on RTA that encompassed residues 154-164 and 62-69, which correspond to RTA -helices D-E and {beta}-strands d-e, respectively, located on the back side of RTA relative to the active site. The other six mAbs recognized overlapping epitopes on RTA but none shared the same HX-MS profile as LE4, PH12 and TB12. A high-density competition ELISA with a panel of ricin-specific single domain camelid antibodies (VHHs) indicated that even though LE4, PH12 and TB12 make contact with similar secondary motifs, they ultimately approach RTA different from angles. These results underscore how subtle differences in epitope specificity have significant impacts on the antibody functionality in vivo and have important implications in the design of immune-based countermeasures against ricin.

Source connections

Published article ↗

Explore related subjects

immunology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Van Slyke, G., Angalakurthi, S. K., Toth, R. T., Vance, D. J., Rong, Y., Ehrbar, D., Shi, Y., Middaught, C. R., Volkin, D., Weis, D., Mantis, N.. 2018-06-14. Fine Specificity Epitope Analysis by HX-MS Identifies Contact Points on Ricin Toxin Recognized by Protective Monoclonal Antibodies. https://doi.org/10.1101/345561

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

CD19-CAR T-cell therapy resets the EBV+ autoreactive B cell repertoire in autoimmune disease

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reprograms autoreactive B cells into activated antigen-presenting cells that drive pathogenic T- and B-cell responses in autoimmune disease. Using EBV B-cell sequencing (EBV-seq), we profiled EBV+ B cells in patients treated with CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells (systemic lupus, n=6; idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, n=3; systemic sclerosis, n=3) or rituximab (n=15). CAR T cells, but not rituximab, depleted EBV+ B cells, resetting the repertoire toward a naive state: predominantly IgM+ with minimal somatic hypermutation. Post-rituximab B-cells remained class-switched, hypermutated, and activated. Monoclonal antibodies cloned from EBV+ B cells lost autoreactivity after CAR T cells but not rituximab. Sustained drug-free remission occurred in 8/12 CAR-treated but 0/15 rituximab-treated patients. EBV+ B cells were predominantly Latency III and resisted anti-CD20 and anti-CD19 antibodies, yet were killed by CAR T cells and T-cell engagers. CD19-CAR T-cell therapy resets the autoreactive EBV+ B-cell repertoire, which may underlie sustained drug-free remission.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2026

A minimal two-residue C-terminal truncation of AID in adult-onset hyper-IgM syndrome type 2 (HIGM2)

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), encoded by AICDA, facilitates class-switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) in activated B cells. Loss of AID function causes hyper-IgM syndrome type 2 (HIGM2). While typically autosomal recessive, three C-terminal truncation variants have been reported to act in autosomal dominant manner. We describe a novel heterozygous AICDA nonsense variant, c.589G>T (p.G197*), that truncates the final two C-terminal residues of AID and results in adult-onset HIGM2. Single-cell sequencing of primary patient B cells revealed a complete block in CSR and a [~]10-fold reduction in SHM. AICDA mRNA expression was balanced between wild-type and variant alleles, yet AID protein abundance was reduced to [~]56% with normal subcellular localization. Remarkably, inducible germinal center (iGB) cultures restored CSR in purified naive patient B cells. CRISPR-Cas9 editing of healthy donor B cells confirmed that the iGB platform can rescue B cells harboring heterozygous, but not homozygous, AICDA variants. These results demonstrate that even a two-amino-acid truncation at the AID C-terminus is sufficient to disrupt its function and cause HIGM2.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2026

Defining the Functional Consequence of the Human Ocular Microbiome

The ocular surface is one of the body's most environmentally exposed mucosal barriers, yet it is considered low biomass and harbors orders of magnitude fewer bacteria than microbe-rich sites like the gut. This has cast doubt on whether a functional core ocular microbiome exists at all. Having previously defined a protective gd T cell and IL-17 axis engaged by the murine commensal Corynebacterium mastitidis, we asked whether human-derived bacteria could do the same. Pairing sequencing and culturomics of healthy human conjunctiva from two geographically distinct cohorts, we define a stable core microbiome and identify Corynebacterium bovis as a consistent eye-resident commensal rather than a transient contaminant. In humans, C. bovis elicits a non-pathogenic response marked by IL-17 secretion by {gamma}{delta} T cells and circulating C. bovis-specific IgG, which suggests commensalism rather than pathology. Colonizing mice with human C. bovis strains from Pittsburgh or Miami reproduced this program and conferred protection against ocular infection with Staphylococcus aureus. Together, these findings identify C. bovis as a human-derived ocular commensal that can drive protective {gamma}{delta} T cell immunity, translating a mechanism previously defined only in mice into human relevance and a rational target against sight-threatening infection.

immunology↗