Substitutions-Modified Prefusion RSV F Proteins and Their Use

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion (F) glycoprotein is the primary target of neutralizing antibodies. The F glycoprotein exists in at least two conformations, a meta-stable prefusion state, and an extremely stable postfusion state. Both states share several epitopes targeted by neutralizing antibodies, but it has been demonstrated that the prefusion conformation of F contains at least one epitope not present in the postfusion conformation. Natural infection results in neutralizing antibodies that are primarily directed against the prefusion conformation of F, not its postfusion conformation. The instability of the prefusion form of F has hindered both its characterization and its use as a vaccine antigen.Researchers at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute o...

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