title: Map of sequential B cell epitopes of the HIV-1 transmembrane protein using human antibodies as probe.
abstract: Antibodies of individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) were used to probe the antigenicity of the HIV-1 transmembrane protein of 41 kD (gp41) by antibody-reactive peptide scanning (Pepscan). Eleven distinct sequential antibody-binding sites were defined by testing reactivity to 339 overlapping nonapeptides spanning the complete gp41 amino acid sequence. Such analysis only maps continuous antibody-binding sites of nine amino acids in length and does not identify putative discontinuous or assembled epitopes. Three B cell epitopes (aa 609-622; aa 655-699; aa 664-681) at the amino-terminal border of the putative transmembrane anchor and two (aa 732-748; aa 744-762) at the carboxyl-terminal border of this domain were the most antigenic. One antibody-binding domain (aa 834-852) with four amino acids homologous to the beta-1 domain of HLA class II beta-chain was recognized by the serum in 1 of 4 AIDS patients tested and not by any of the eight sera from symptom-free individuals. Although functional domains of gp41 involved in virus replication, cytopathicity and possibly immunosuppression were shown to bind antibodies of HIV-1-infected individuals, no relationship between antibody recognition patterns and disease progression was apparent.
authors.affiliation: Human Retrovirus Laboratory, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goudsmit
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Meloen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brasseur
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001665:Binding Sites; D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000276:immunology; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / Q000276:immunology*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000382:microbiology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010449:Peptide Mapping
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41