Human immunodeficiency virus 1. Predominance of a group-specific neutralizing epitope that persists despite genetic variation.
HIV-1 is known to show a high degree of genetic diversity, which may have major implications for disease pathogenesis and prevention. If every divergent isolate represented a distinct serotype, then effective vaccination might be impossible. However, using a sensitive new plaque-forming assay for HIV-1, we have found that most infected patients make neutralizing antibodies, predominantly to a group-specific epitope shared among three highly divergent isolates. This epitope persists among divergent isolates and rarely mutates, despite the rapid overall mutation rate of HIV-1, suggesting that it may participate in an essential viral function. These findings, plus the rarity of reinfections among these patients, suggest that HIV-1 may be more susceptible to a vaccine strategy based on a group-specific neutralizing epitope than was previously suspected.
Berkower
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Division of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Smith
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GE
Giri
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Murphy
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D
D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000382:microbiology; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D012995:Solubility; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor