Li Chen: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China. ORCID
Mengmeng Sun: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Huajun Zhang: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China. ORCID
Xinghai Zhang: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Yanfeng Yao: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China. ORCID
Ming Li: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Kangyin Li: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Pengfei Fan: Laboratory of Advanced Biotechnology, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China. ORCID
Haiwei Zhang: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Ye Qin: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Zhe Zhang: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Entao Li: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Zhen Chen: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Wuxiang Guan: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Shanshan Li: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China. ORCID
Changming Yu: Laboratory of Advanced Biotechnology, Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing, China. yuchangming@126.com. ORCID
Kaiming Zhang: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China. kmzhang@ustc.edu.cn. ORCID
Rui Gong: CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China. gongr@wh.iov.cn. ORCID
Sandra Chiu: Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China. qiux@ustc.edu.cn. ORCID
Nipah virus (NiV) is a World Health Organization priority pathogen and there are currently no approved drugs for clinical immunotherapy. Through the use of a naïve human phage-displayed Fab library, two neutralizing antibodies (NiV41 and NiV42) targeting the NiV receptor binding protein (RBP) were identified. Following affinity maturation, antibodies derived from NiV41 display cross-reactivity against both NiV and Hendra virus (HeV), whereas the antibody based on NiV42 is only specific to NiV. Results of immunogenetic analysis reveal a correlation between the maturation of antibodies and their antiviral activity. In vivo testing of NiV41 and its mature form (41-6) show protective efficacy against a lethal NiV challenge in hamsters. Furthermore, a 2.88 Å Cryo-EM structure of the tetrameric RBP and antibody complex demonstrates that 41-6 blocks the receptor binding interface. These findings can be beneficial for the development of antiviral drugs and the design of vaccines with broad spectrum against henipaviruses.