Antigen-Specific Antibody Glycosylation Is Regulated via Vaccination.

• Main Authors: Alison E Mahan, Madeleine F Jennewein, Todd Suscovich, Kendall Dionne, Jacquelynne Tedesco, Amy W Chung, Hendrik Streeck, Maria Pau, Hanneke Schuitemaker, Don Francis, Patricia Fast, Dagna Laufer, Bruce D Walker, Lindsey Baden, Dan H Barouch, Galit Alter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2016-03-01
• Series: PLoS Pathogens
• Online Access: http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4794126?pdf=render
• ISSN: 1553-7366; 1553-7374

Antibody effector functions, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, complement deposition, and antibody-dependent phagocytosis, play a critical role in immunity against multiple pathogens, particularly in the absence of neutralizing activity. Two modifications to the IgG constant domain (Fc domain) regulate antibody functionality: changes in antibody subclass and changes in a single N-linked glycan located in the CH2 domain of the IgG Fc. Together, these modifications provide a specific set of instructions to the innate immune system to direct the elimination of antibody-bound antigens. While it is clear that subclass selection is actively regulated during the course of natural infection, it is unclear whether antibody glycosylation can be tuned, in a signal-specific or pathogen-specific manner. Here, we show that antibody glycosylation is determined in an antigen- and pathogen-specific manner during HIV infection. Moreover, while dramatic differences exist in bulk IgG glycosylation among individuals in distinct geographical locations, immunization is able to overcome these differences and elicit antigen-specific antibodies with similar antibody glycosylation patterns. Additionally, distinct vaccine regimens induced different antigen-specific IgG glycosylation profiles, suggesting that antibody glycosylation is not only programmable but can be manipulated via the delivery of distinct inflammatory signals during B cell priming. These data strongly suggest that the immune system naturally drives antibody glycosylation in an antigen-specific manner and highlights a promising means by which next-generation therapeutics and vaccines can harness the antiviral activity of the innate immune system via directed alterations in antibody glycosylation in vivo.  .