N. C. Wu

Natural variation in neuraminidase activity influences the evolutionary potential of the seasonal H1N1 lineage hemagglutinin

This study shows that natural variation in neuraminidase activity affects the evolutionary potential of hemagglutinin in seasonal H1N1 influenza viruses.

Functional and antigenic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 spike fusion peptide by deep mutational scanning

This study uses deep mutational scanning to analyze the SARS-CoV-2 spike fusion peptide, identifying mutations affecting viral entry and antibody resistance.

Evidence of antigenic drift in the fusion machinery core of SARS-CoV-2 spike

This study identifies S2 domain mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike that reduce binding to antibodies, showing antigenic drift in this region and its impact on vaccine efficacy.

An explainable language model for antibody specificity prediction using curated influenza hemagglutinin antibodies

This study curates a dataset of influenza HA antibodies and develops an explainable language model to predict antibody specificity, identifying and validating HA stem antibodies.

EHMT2/G9a-Inhibition Reprograms Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) to a More Differentiated, Less Proliferative and Invasive State

This study identifies EHMT2 as a key regulator of CAF hyperproliferation and pro-invasive behavior, showing its inhibition reprograms CAFs to a less aggressive state.

Widespread impact of immunoglobulin V gene allelic polymorphisms on antibody reactivity

This study shows that IGV allelic polymorphisms widely affect antibody reactivity by analyzing antibody-antigen structures and experimental data.

Imprinted anti-hemagglutinin and anti-neuraminidase antibody responses after childhood infections of A(H1N1) and A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza viruses

The paper characterizes anti-HA and anti-NA antibody responses to A(H1N1) and A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza viruses in individuals born between 1950-2015, finding age-dependent imprinting and cross-reactivity to multiple antigenic variants.

Microhabitat and ontogenetic variation of thermal tolerance in complex ectotherm life cycles

The paper examines thermal tolerance variation across ontogeny and microhabitats in frogs, finding similar thermal trends across habitats and highlighting behavioral thermoregulation as a buffer against heat stress.

High-throughput identification of prefusion-stabilizing mutations in SARS-CoV-2 spike

The paper identifies mutations that stabilize the prefusion conformation of SARS-CoV-2 spike while improving expression, using a combination of fluorescence-based assays, cell display, and deep mutational scanning.

An off-the-shelf multi-well scaffold-supported platform for tumour organoid-based tissues

This paper introduces a high-throughput platform for generating standardized organoid microtissues to enable drug screening and phenotypic assays.

Age-related seroprevalence trajectories of seasonal coronaviruses in children

This study examines age-related seroprevalence of four seasonal coronaviruses in children and postpartum women, showing waning passive immunity and resurgence of IgGs with age.

Probing the biophysical constraints of SARS-CoV-2 spike N-terminal domain using deep mutational scanning

This study quantifies the effects of NTD mutations on S protein expression and identifies mutations that enhance expression without altering antigenicity.

The evolutionary potential of the influenza A virus hemagglutinin is highly constrained by intersegment epistasis

This study shows that intersegment epistasis between hemagglutinin and neuraminidase constrains the evolutionary potential of the influenza A virus hemagglutinin gene.

Molecular analysis of a public cross-neutralizing antibody response to SARS-CoV-2

The paper identifies a public antibody response that cross-neutralizes all SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron, by analyzing published data on germline gene combinations and molecular features.

Prevalence and mechanisms of evolutionary contingency in human influenza H3N2 neuraminidase

The paper identifies deleterious mutations in human influenza H3N2 neuraminidase and reveals epistatic networks shaping its evolution.

Egg-adaptation pathway of human influenza H3N2 virus is contingent on natural evolution

The paper shows that natural mutations in human H3N2 HA influence the egg-adaptation pathway, affecting mutation emergence during vaccine production.

Interactions between influenza A virus nucleoprotein and gene segment UTRs facilitate selective modulation of viral gene expression

This study identifies how influenza A virus nucleoprotein interactions with gene segment UTRs selectively modulate viral gene expression, revealing a new role for NP in gene-segment specific regulation.

A large-scale systematic survey of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies reveals recurring molecular features

The paper analyzes 8,000 SARS-CoV-2 spike-targeting antibodies from 200 donors to identify common molecular features and demonstrates a deep learning model for predicting antigen specificity.

Antigenic evolution of human influenza H3N2 neuraminidase is constrained by charge balancing

This study uses deep mutational scanning to show that charge balancing constrains antigenic evolution in H3N2 neuraminidase.

Human organoid systems reveal in vitro correlates of fitness for SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7

The paper assesses the replicative fitness of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant in human organoid models and finds higher infectious virus production and fitness compared to an ancestral strain.

Ultrapotent bispecific antibodies neutralize emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

This study identifies ultrapotent bispecific antibodies that neutralize emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants by targeting multiple spike protein regions, showing efficacy in vitro and in a hamster model.

Homologous and heterologous serological response to the N-terminal domain of SARS-CoV-2

The paper examines the serological response to the N-terminal domain (NTD) of SARS-CoV-2, showing it is less cross-reactive with SARS-CoV and less effective as an immunogen compared to the RBD.

Structural and functional ramifications of antigenic drift in recent SARS-CoV-2 variants

The paper examines how mutations at E484 and K417 in SARS-CoV-2 variants affect neutralizing antibodies, showing reduced efficacy against certain antibody families but not others.

A combination of cross-neutralizing antibodies synergizes to prevent SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV pseudovirus infection

This study shows that combining cross-neutralizing antibodies CV38-142 and COVA1-16 enhances neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV pseudoviruses.

Sequence signatures of two IGHV3-53/3-66 public clonotypes to SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain

The paper identifies two public IGHV3-53/3-66 clonotypes with distinct CDR H3 motifs and shows Y58F mutation enhances binding affinity to SARS-CoV-2 RBD.

Human airway cells prevent SARS-CoV-2 multibasic cleavage site cell culture adaptation

The paper shows that using human airway cells prevents SARS-CoV-2 from mutating its multibasic cleavage site during propagation.

Potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies selected from a human antibody library constructed decades ago

The paper identifies potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from a pre-pandemic human antibody library, showing high somatic hypermutation and specific binding to the spike protein.

Evidence of antigenic imprinting in sequential Sarbecovirus immunization

This study shows that prior exposure to one Sarbecovirus strain biases antibody response to a subsequent, antigenically distinct strain, suggesting antigenic imprinting affects immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

A natural mutation between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV determines neutralization by a cross-reactive antibody

This study identifies a single amino acid mutation that determines the difference in neutralization ability of a cross-reactive antibody between SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV.

Structural basis of a public antibody response to SARS-CoV-2

The paper identifies IGHV3-53 as a common VH gene for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and determines its structural basis for binding the RBD.