title: Virus envelope protein of HTLV-III represents major target antigen for antibodies in AIDS patients.
abstract: In this study, two glycoproteins (gp160 and gp120) that are encoded by human T-cell lymphoma virus type III (HTLV-III) were the antigens most consistently recognized by antibodies found in patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and with the AIDS-related complex (ARC) and in healthy homosexual males. The techniques used to detect the glycoproteins were radioimmunoprecipitation and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (RIP/SDS-PAGE). Although most antibody-positive samples from ARC patients and from healthy homosexual males also reacted with the virus core protein p24, less than half of the AIDS patients revealed a positive band with p24 under the same conditions. The ability to detect antibodies against a profile of both the major env gene encoded antigens and the gag gene encoded antigens suggests that the RIP/SDS-PAGE may be a valuable confirmatory assay for establishing the presence or absence of antibodies to HTLV-III in human serum samples.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barin
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: McLane
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Groopman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Essex
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D008970:Molecular Weight; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins