A FC-ENHANCED NON-NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY DELAYS SARS-CoV-2-INDUCED DEATH in MICE

ABSTRACT

Background: Both neutralizing activity and Fc-mediated effector functions of antibodies are believed to contribute to protection against SARS-CoV-2. However, it is unclear if antibody effector functions alone could protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: We isolated CV3-13 from a convalescent individual with potent Fc-mediated effector functions. Neutralization capacity of this antibody was measured by both a pseudovirus neutralization assay and an authentic virus microneutralization assay. We mutated the Fc-portion of CV3-13 to enhance (GASDALIE) or reduce (LALA) its capacity to mediate antibody dependant cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Structural analysis of CV3-13 was done by cryo-EM to characterize its epitope and its angle of approach. Finally, CV3-13 and CV3-13 GASDALIE were used in vivo in a K18-hACE2 transgenic mouse model challenged with SARS-CoV-2-nLuc to see if they altered viral replication and/or contributed to protection against SARS-CoV-2. Results: While CV3-13 did not neutralize SARS-CoV-2, it demonstrated nanomolar affinity towards the SARS-CoV-2 Spike and mediated strong ADCC. The cryo-EM structure of CV3-13 in complex with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike revealed that the antibody bound to a novel NTD epitope that partially overlapped with a frequently mutated NTD supersite in SARS-CoV-2 variants. Interestingly, this angle of approach was not observed for previously described NTD-directed antibodies. While CV3-13 did not alter the replication dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in a K18-hACE2 transgenic mouse model, a Fc-enhanced CV3-13 significantly delayed neuroinvasion and death in prophylactic settings. Conclusion: CV3-13 represents a new class of non-neutralizing NTD-directed mAbs that can mediate Fc-effector functions both in vitro and in vivo. While effector functions alone did not protect K18-hACE2 mice from SARS-CoV-2-nLuc challenge, our data indicate that along with neutralization, additional antibody properties including Fc-mediated effector functions contribute to limiting viral spread and aid in fighting SARS-CoV-2 infection.