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Updated: May 5, 2026

Peptide-based Identification of Functional Motifs and their Binding Partners
Published on: July 1, 2013
Impact of cellular proteases on the function of antiviral antibodies
Mateo Krzypow1,2, Olivier Schwartz1,2,3, Timothée Bruel1,2,3
1Antiviral Activities of Antibodies Group, Virus and Immunity Unit, Département de Virologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Abstract:
Viruses evade antibodies through many mechanisms. While mutation remains the predominant pathway, host proteases can be hijacked upon viral infections and decrease antibody-mediated clearance. Proteolysis can degrade or shed viral antigens to create soluble decoys, induce conformational changes that reduce neutralization, and cleave Fc receptors and complement proteins, hindering Fc-effector antibody functions. This review synthesizes evidence on the interplay between viruses and host proteases to evade antiviral activities of antibodies.
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