Comparative humoral responses to human immunodeficiency virus type 1-p24gag linear B-cell epitopes among individuals showing atypical western immunoblotting reactions and implications for diagnosis.
Serum specimens from 25 individuals with an isolated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) core antigen reactivity in a Western immunoblot test were examined for their reactivities with HIV-1 virions, control cellular antigens, HIV-1-Bru p24gag recombinant protein (p24gag), and a panel of 22 p24gag-derived peptides. The results were as follows: (i) serum specimens from eight HIV-1-uninfected subjects did bind to virions but failed to bind to p24gag; (ii) sera from 13 HIV-1-uninfected subjects and from one HIV-2-infected patient reacted with HIV-1 virions and p24gag but failed to bind to any of the peptides expressing major p24gag epitopes, and (iii) 3 serum specimens obtained from one neonate carrying anti-HIV-1 maternal antibody and from two HIV-1-infected subjects who had seroconverted during the study reacted with HIV-1 virions, p24gag, and one or more peptides containing the major p24gag epitopes. Our data suggest that the combination of p24gag and appropriate peptides could be useful for resolution when atypical Western immunoblot results are encountered.
Lallement
J C
JC
Centre de Tri des Molécules anti-HIV, Institut de Biologie, CRBM du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 249, Montpellier, France.
Vendrell
J P
JP
Corbeau
P
P
Ducos
J
J
Segondy
M
M
Escande
A
A
Robert-Hebmann
V
V
Jean
F
F
Reynes
J
J
Serre
A
A
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D011994:Recombinant Proteins