Cryo-EM structures of Měnglà virus GP reveal combined Ebola- and Marburg-like epitope masking strategies for antibody evasion.

Abstract

Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) are highly lethal filoviruses that cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans. A recently identified bat-borne filovirus, Měnglà virus (MLAV), uses the same NPC1 receptor as EBOV and MARV, raising concerns about its potential cross-species transmission. Here, we report cryo-EM structures of the MLAV surface glycoprotein (GP) in its unbound form and in complex with the MARV-neutralizing antibody MR191. MLAV GP exhibits distinctive structural features in the Wing and heptad repeat 1D (HR1D) regions, retains a visible Cap structure even after protease treatment, and contains a MARV GP-like α2 helix. MR191, a broadly neutralizing marburgvirus antibody that targets the conserved NPC1 receptor-binding pocket in MLAV GP, nonetheless exhibits impaired neutralizing activity, likely due to shielding by the MLAV Cap. In addition, the MLAV mucin-like domain, α2 helix, and HR1A region hinder binding by representative broadly neutralizing ebolavirus antibodies targeting the GP-waist, including 6D6, CA45, ADI-15878, and ADI-15946. Together, these results provide the first structural insights into MLAV GP and identify immune evasion driven by structural and sequence divergence as a major challenge for pan-filovirus antibody development.