Files
Abstract
Influenza A virus (IAV) causes contagious respiratory illness and significant morbidity and mortality annually. Disease incidence is high because vaccination nor infection elicit protective immunity due to antigenic drift or shift of surface proteins hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. Also found on the surface of IAV is the matrix protein 2 (M2) proton channel, which has a highly conserved, 23- amino acid ectodomain (M2e). A panel of M2e-specific murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated and assayed for breadth of reactivity and efficacy in a murine model with species specific IAVs having distinct M2e sequences. We show mAbs binding to all viruses tested but with distinct binding patterns. Interestingly, relative affinity for a given virus did not directly correlate with efficacy in vivo, suggesting a complex interaction of protection. Identification of precise epitopes for each mAb will inform use of therapeutic MAb cocktails as well as potential for universal protection with diverse IAVs.