Membrane-anchored influenza neuraminidase vaccine drives human-like broadly protective B cell responses

Abstract

Influenza neuraminidase (NA) is a promising target for universal flu vaccines, yet eliciting potent B-cell responses against its conserved epitopes remains challenging. Here, we developed a membrane-anchored, folding-domain-free NA (mNA) that elicited superior head-specific germinal center B cell and antibody responses compared to soluble tetrameric NA. In non-human primates, mNA immunization induced cross-reactive memory B cell (MBC) responses, expanding clones with the conserved "DR" motif in HCDR3, a hallmark of human broadly reactive NA antibodies. These MBCs conferred cross-inhibitory activity against diverse NA variants and in vivo cross-protection. Cryo-EM analysis revealed that the 554-C2 clone targets the conserved enzymatic pocket via the "DR" motif, while the 554-C1 clone recognizes previously uncharacterized epitopes at the interface between two adjacent N2 monomers, effectively reducing plaque formation by contemporary H3N2 strains. Our findings highlight the immunological advantages of membrane-anchoring, providing a robust strategy for designing next-generation vaccines against influenza and other pathogens.