Human "glycan-sensitive" antibodies protect from hepatitis E virus infection
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes 3.3 million symptomatic cases and 44,000 deaths per year. Chronic infections can arise in immunocompromised individuals, and pregnant women may suffer from fulminant disease as a consequence of HEV infection. Despite these important implications for public health, no specific antiviral treatment has been approved to date. Here, we report combined functional, biochemical, and X-ray crystallographic studies that characterize the human antibody response in convalescent HEV patients. We identified a novel class of potent and broadly neutralizing human antibodies (bnAbs), targeting a quaternary epitope located at the tip of the HEV capsid protein pORF2. This epitope contains an N-glycosylation motif and is conserved across members of the Hepeviridae. These “glycan-sensitive” bnAbs specifically recognize the non-glycosylated pORF2 present in infections particles, but not the secreted glycosylated form acting as antibody decoy. Our best bnAb protects human liver-chimeric mice in vivo from intraperitoneal and co-housing HEV challenge. These results provide first insights into the bnAb response to this important emerging pathogen and support the development of “glycan-sensitive” antibodies to combat HEV infection.