The Sequence Basis for Selectivity of Ephrin-B2 Ligand for Eph Receptors and Pathogenic Henipavirus G Glycoproteins: Selective Ephrin-B2 Decoys for Nipah and Hendra Virus.

Ephrin-B2 (EFNB2) is a ligand for six Eph receptors in humans and functions as a cell entry receptor for several henipaviruses including Nipah virus (NiV), a pathogenic zoonotic virus with pandemic potential. To understand the sequence basis of promiscuity for EFNB2 binding to the attachment glycoprotein of NiV (NiV-G) and Eph receptors, we performed deep mutagenesis on EFNB2 to identify mutations that enhance binding to NiV-G over EphB2, one of the highest affinity Eph receptors. The mutations highlight how different EFNB2 conformations are selected by NiV-G versus EphB2. Specificity mutations are enriched at the base of the G-H binding loop of EFNB2, especially surrounding a phenylalanine hinge upon which the G-H loop pivots, and at a phenylalanine hook that rotates away from the EFNB2 core to engage Eph receptors. One EFNB2 mutant, D62Q, possesses pan-specificity to the attachment glycoproteins of closely related henipaviruses and has markedly diminished binding to the six Eph receptors. However, EFNB2-D62Q has high residual binding to EphB3 and EphB4. A second deep mutational scan of EFNB2 identified combinatorial mutations to further enhance specificity to NiV-G. A triple mutant of soluble EFNB2, D62Q-Q130L-V167L, has minimal binding to Eph receptors but maintains binding, albeit reduced, to NiV-G. Soluble EFNB2 decoy receptors carrying the specificity mutations were potent neutralizers of chimeric henipaviruses. These findings demonstrate how specific residue changes at the shared binding interface of a promiscuous ligand (EFNB2) can influence selectivity for multiple receptors, and may also offer insight towards the development of henipavirus therapeutics and diagnostics.
Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST E.P. is a shareholder and employee of Cyrus Biotechnology, which licenses and commercializes intellectual property held by the University of Illinois for soluble decoy receptors targeting SARS-CoV-2 and HCMV. Cyrus Biotechnology had no role in the design, execution, analysis or interpretation of the research described in this study.