Inference of the HIV-1 VRC01 Antibody Lineage Unmutated Common Ancestor Reveals Alternative Pathways to Overcome a Key Glycan Barrier (Immunity)

Understanding how HIV-1 VRC01-class broadly neutralizing antibodies overcome maturation barriers is key for vaccine development. Bonsignori et al. inferred the unmutated common ancestor of the VRC01 lineage, reconstructed the stages of lineage maturation, and identified multiple solutions adopted by evolving B cells to overcome the N276 glycan barrier and achieve broad neutralization.