Immunodominant B-cell clones responsive to an HIV-1 neutralization and cell fusion inhibition epitope in chimpanzee-to-chimpanzee passages of HTLV-IIIB and LAV-1.

Research in Virology
J GoudsmitL Smit

Abstract

Chimpanzees infected with the HIV-1 strains HTLV-IIIB or LAV-1 in primary, secondary or tertiary passages developed neutralizing antibodies binding to variable domain V3 in the carboxyl terminal half of the external envelope (amino acids 309-317). Nonapeptide antigens reflecting either the HTLV-IIIB/LAV-1 neutralization epitope (IQRGPGRAF, designated 3B) or peptide analogues (ITKGPGRVI, designated RF; IQRGPGRVI, designated 3B/RF; ITKGPGRAF, designated RF/3B) were previously shown to be able to distinguish antibody populations in a polyclonal response of rabbits to these peptides. Sera from chimpanzees infected with the HIV-1 strains HTLV-IIIB and LAV-1 were tested for the presence of antibodies reactive to these nonapeptides. Sera from 3 chimpanzees infected with a primary LAV-1 or HTLV-IIIB passage, 2 chimpanzees infected with blood from the primary infected chimpanzees and from 1 chimpanzee infected with blood from a secondary passage animal, all bound peptides 3B and 3B/RF, sharing the sequence IQRGPGR, in equally high tires. In 2 primary passage animals and in 1 secondary passage animal, the capacity to bind to peptides 3B and 3B/RF was equally high, indicating clonality of these B-cell responses. Contrasting results were o...Continue Reading

References

Jun 1, 1987·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·J GoudsmitD C Gajdusek

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