B cell receptor and T cell receptor repertoires specific for H5N1 Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase epitopes (H5N1 BCR/TCR repertoires)

The B cell receptor (BCR) and T cell receptor (TCR) repertoires specific for H5N1 Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA) epitopes represent the specialized population of immune receptors capable of recognizing the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Hemagglutinin (HA) is the primary viral glycoprotein responsible for host cell attachment and entry, making it the main target for neutralizing antibodies derived from the BCR repertoire (UniProt, 2024). Neuraminidase (NA) facilitates the release of progeny virions from infected cells, and its corresponding immune response helps limit viral spread (Nature, 2013). The TCR repertoire identifies viral peptides presented by MHC molecules, leading to the destruction of infected cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (Journal of Virology, 2021). While not a single therapeutic target, these repertoires are the focus of vaccine strategies designed to elicit broad and potent immune memory against pandemic threats (WHO, 2024). Understanding the diversity and clonal expansion of these receptors is critical for the discovery of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) and the evaluation of vaccine efficacy (Science Translational Medicine, 2019).

Other names

H5N1-specific immune repertoireH5N1 HA/NA specific BCR and TCRAvian influenza specific lymphocyte receptorsH5N1-specific B-cell and T-cell receptors

The BCR and TCR repertoires do not function as drugs; rather, they are the endogenous components of the immune system that recognize viral antigens. Vaccines act by inducing the expansion and affinity maturation of these specific BCR and TCR clones to provide protective immunity (Nature Reviews Immunology, 2021). Monoclonal antibodies derived from these repertoires neutralize the virus by binding to conserved epitopes on the HA or NA proteins, thereby preventing viral entry or egress (Nature, 2013).