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Multimodal Mass Spectrometry Identifies a Conserved Protective Epitope in S. pyogenes Streptolysin O

Type Information
Nr 87 (Research article)
Authors Tang, Di; Gueto-Tettay, Carlos; Hjortswang, Elisabeth; Ströbaek, Joel; Ekström, Simon; Happonen, Lotta; Malmström, Lars; Malmström, Johan
Title Multimodal Mass Spectrometry Identifies a Conserved Protective Epitope in S. pyogenes Streptolysin O
Journal Anal Chem (2024) 0(0) 0
DOI 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00596
Citations 1 citations (journal impact: 8.008)
Abstract An important element of antibody-guided vaccine design is the use of neutralizing or opsonic monoclonal antibodies to define protective epitopes in their native three-dimensional conformation. Here, we demonstrate a multimodal mass spectrometry-based strategy for in-depth characterization of antigen-antibody complexes to enable the identification of protective epitopes using the cytolytic exotoxin Streptolysin O (SLO) from Streptococcus pyogenes as a showcase. We first discovered a monoclonal antibody with an undisclosed sequence capable of neutralizing SLO-mediated cytolysis. The amino acid sequence of both the antibody light and the heavy chain was determined using mass-spectrometry-based de novo sequencing, followed by chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry to generate distance constraints between the antibody fragment antigen-binding region and SLO. Subsequent integrative computational modeling revealed a discontinuous epitope located in domain 3 of SLO that was experimentally validated by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and reverse engineering of the targeted epitope. The results show that the antibody inhibits SLO-mediated cytolysis by binding to a discontinuous epitope in domain 3, likely preventing oligomerization and subsequent secondary structure transitions critical for pore-formation. The epitope is highly conserved across >98% of the characterized S. pyogenes isolates, making it an attractive target for antibody-based therapy and vaccine design against severe streptococcal infections.