Immunogenicity of synthetic HIV-1 gp120 V3-loop peptide-conjugate immunogens.
A successful prophylactic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine must elicit an immune response that will prevent establishment of the persistent viral infection. The only response shown to be effective in this regard is virus-neutralizing antibody directed against the viral gp120 hypervariable V3-loop region. Conjugate immunogens, containing cyclic peptides representing the V3 determinant covalently bound to a carrier protein, were capable of eliciting virus-neutralizing antibodies. The consistency of the response was related to peptide size. The smaller cyclic peptides, expressing relatively conserved sequences from the V3-loop apex, were poor inducers of neutralizing activity. In contrast, the largest cyclic peptides mediated neutralizing responses that were similar to those observed and previously reported for intact gp120 immunogens. A cyclic synthetic peptide expressing most of the prototypic HIV-1 MN variant V3 determinant warrants further study as a potentially effective vaccine immunogen.
Department of Virus and Cell Biology, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486.
A J
AJ
Conley
P
P
Conard
S
S
Bondy
C A
CA
Dolan
J
J
Hannah
W J
WJ
Leanza
S
S
Marburg
M
M
Rivetna
V K
VK
Rusiecki
E E
EE
Sugg
D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D000882:Haplorhini; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate / Q000276:immunology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology
D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; C059762:HIV envelope protein gp120 (305-321); D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic