Primary Citation of Related Structures:   8CR9, 8CRB
PubMed Abstract: 
Drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) poses an emerging threat to human health with urgent need for alternative therapeutic approaches. Here, we deciphered the B cell and antibody response to the virulence-associated type III secretion system (T3SS) in a cohort of patients chronically infected with PA. Single-cell analytics revealed a diverse B cell receptor repertoire directed against the T3SS needle-tip protein PcrV, enabling the production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) abrogating T3SS-mediated cytotoxicity. Mechanistic studies involving cryoelectron microscopy identified a surface-exposed C-terminal PcrV epitope as the target of highly neutralizing mAbs with broad activity against drug-resistant PA isolates. These anti-PcrV mAbs were as effective as treatment with conventional antibiotics in vivo. Our study reveals that chronically infected patients represent a source of neutralizing antibodies, which can be exploited as therapeutics against PA.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany; Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: alexander.simonis@uk-koeln.de.
Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany; Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
Department of Chemical Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
Institute of Structural and Systems Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), 22607 Hamburg, Germany; Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), 22607 Hamburg, Germany; Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Zentrum (DESY), 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
CF Centre, Pediatric Pulmonology and Allergology, University Children's Hospital Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany; Centre for Rare Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany.
Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; Department of Experimental Pediatric Oncology, University Children's Hospital Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany.
Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Department of Pediatric Pneumology, Allergology and Neonatology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany; Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease (BREATH), German Center for Lung Research, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany.
Institute for Dental Research and Oral Musculoskeletal Biology, Center for Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany; Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, 50935 Cologne, Germany.
Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany; Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany.
Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany; Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Bonn-Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany. Electronic address: jan.rybniker@uk-koeln.de.