Isolation of a monoclonal antibody that blocks attachment of the major group of human rhinoviruses

Reciprocal competition binding assays have previously demonstrated that 20 of 24 human rhinovirus serotypes tested compete for a single cellular receptor. These studies suggested that the vast majority of rhinovirus serotypes utilize a single cellular receptor. With HeLa cells as an immunogen, a mouse monoclonal antibody was isolated which had the precise specificity predicted by the competition binding study. The receptor antibody was shown to protect HeLa cells from infection by 78 of 88 human rhinovirus serotypes assayed. In addition, the receptor antibody protects HeLa cells from infection by three coxsackievirus A serotypes. The receptor antibody was unable to protect cells from infection by a wide range of other RNA and DNA viruses. Using the receptor antibody and human rhinovirus type 15, we determined that the cellular receptor utilized by the vast number of human rhinovirus serotypes is present only on cells of human origin, with the exception of chimpanzee-derived cells. The receptor antibody has a strong affinity for the cellular receptor as evidenced by its rapid binding kinetics and ability to displace previously bound human rhinovirus virions from receptors. No viral variants were identified which could bypass the receptor blockage.