Using Antibodies and Mutants To Localize the Presumptive gH/gL Binding Site on Herpes Simplex Virus gD.

HSV virus-cell and cell-cell fusion requires multiple interactions between four essential virion envelope glycoproteins, gD, gB, gH, and gL, and between gD and a cellular receptor, nectin-1 or herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM). Current models suggest that binding of gD to receptors induces a conformational change that leads to activation of gH/gL and consequent triggering of the prefusion form of gB to promote membrane fusion. Since protein-protein interactions guide each step of fusion, identifying the sites of interaction may lead to the identification of potential therapeutic targets that block this process. We have previously identified two "faces" on gD: one for receptor binding and the other for its presumed interaction with gH/gL. We previously separated the gD monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) into five competition communities. MAbs from two communities (MC2 and MC5) neutralize virus infection and block cell-cell fusion but do not block receptor binding, suggesting that they block binding of gD to gH/gL. Using a combination of classical epitope mapping of gD mutants with fusion and entry assays, we identified two residues (R67 and P54) on the presumed gH/gL interaction face of gD that allowed for fusion and viral entry but were no longer sensitive to inhibition by MC2 or MC5, yet both were blocked by other MAbs. As neutralizing antibodies interfere with essential steps in the fusion pathway, our studies strongly suggest that these key residues block the interaction of gD with gH/gL. Virus entry and cell-cell fusion mediated by HSV require gD, gH/gL, gB, and a gD receptor. Neutralizing antibodies directed against any of these proteins bind to residues within key functional sites and interfere with an essential step in the fusion pathway. Thus, the epitopes of these MAbs identify critical, functional sites on their target proteins. Unlike many anti-gD MAbs, which block binding of gD to a cellular receptor, two, MC2 and MC5, block a separate, downstream step in the fusion pathway which is presumed to be the activation of the modulator of fusion, gH/gL. By combining epitope mapping of a panel of gD mutants with fusion and virus entry assays, we have identified residues that are critical in the binding and function of these two MAbs. This new information helps to define the site of the presumptive interaction of gD with gH/gL, of which we have limited knowledge.