Human adaptive immune receptors recognizing norovirus capsid–derived epitopes (Norovirus-specific TCRs/BCRs)

Human adaptive immune receptors recognizing norovirus capsid-derived epitopes encompass the repertoire of T-cell receptors (TCRs) and B-cell receptors (BCRs)/antibodies that specifically bind to the Norovirus major capsid protein, VP1 (Lindesmith et al., 2011). These receptors are central to the host's ability to clear norovirus infections and provide long-term immunity (Atmar et al., 2011). BCRs typically recognize conformational epitopes on the protruding (P) domain of VP1, particularly the P2 subdomain, which contains the binding sites for histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) used for viral entry (Donaldson et al., 2010). TCRs recognize linear peptide fragments of the capsid protein presented by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules on the surface of infected or antigen-presenting cells (Thorne & Goodfellow, 2016). In the context of drug and vaccine development, these receptors are the primary effectors that vaccines aim to elicit or that monoclonal antibody therapies aim to mimic (Parra et al., 2017). Understanding the specificity and diversity of these receptors is crucial for designing broadly protective vaccines against the highly diverse and rapidly evolving norovirus genotypes, such as GII.4.

Other names

Norovirus-specific T-cell receptorsNorovirus-specific B-cell receptorsAnti-norovirus antibodiesNorovirus-specific TCRsNorovirus-specific BCRsNorovirus capsid-specific receptors

Vaccines elicit the production and maturation of these receptors to provide protective immunity; monoclonal antibodies derived from these receptors neutralize the virus by binding to the capsid and preventing host cell attachment.