Germline-somatic residue synergy reshapes antibody encounter-state pathways to enhance HIV-1 recognition

Antibodies initiate antigen recognition through short-lived encounter states. These states are structurally distinct from the bound state and allow an antibody to reach the epitope from diverse approach angles. We previously showed that encounter states enable broadly neutralizing HIV-1 antibodies to access protected epitopes, but how these states evolve during affinity maturation is unknown. Here, we defined encounter-state ensembles for two intermediates in a glycan-dependent antibody clonal lineage using extensive molecular dynamics simulations and Markov state modeling. Somatic mutations in the more mature member did not stabilize the bound state. Instead, they created early glycan-mediated interactions that reoriented the antibody during approach and markedly increased the association rate. This reorientation redistributed productive encounter states across a larger antigen surface. This expanded the antigen surface area over which collisions led to productive binding. The modified encounter state landscape positioned germline residues for conserved contacts and provided a kinetic route that naturally bypasses steric barriers at the epitope. Together, these results show that affinity maturation can proceed by reshaping encounter pathways rather than altering the final complex, revealing a generalizable mechanism by which somatic–germline synergy enhances antigen recognition.