The antibody response to the HIV-1 specific "out" (vpu) protein: identification of an immunodominant epitope and correlation of antibody detectability to clinical stages.
Overlapping decapeptides based on the sequences of two human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strains (HXB2 and ELI) were used to identify an immunodominant epitope of the nonstructural protein "out" (vpu) of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Of 29 HIV-1 antibody-positive sera, 6 reacted with decapeptides corresponding to the C-terminal amino acid sequence VEMGVEMGHHAPWDVDDL of the "out" (vpu) protein. This oligopeptide was synthesized by the solid phase method and used to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for screening of 243 HIV-1-seropositive and 75 HIV-1-seronegative sera. It was found that 26% of the HIV-1 antibody-positive sera were reactive in the "out" (vpu) peptide ELISA, whereas none of the HIV-1-negative sera reacted with the oligopeptide. Correlation of reactivity of sera with the Walter Reed (WR) staging classification demonstrated that individuals classified WR 1 (36%) and WR 2 (42%) were more often reactive than patients classified WR 3-6 (11%).
AIDS-Zentrum am Bundesgesundheitsamt, Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany.
T
T
Schneider
P
P
Hildebrandt
W
W
Rönspeck
W
W
Weigelt
G
G
Pauli
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins
D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D054298:Human Immunodeficiency Virus Proteins; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C514859:vpu protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1; D000086082:Viroporin Proteins