title: Lack of correlation between the number of circulating B cells and the concentration of serum antibodies reactive with the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein.
abstract: Cells obtained from the peripheral blood of HIV-infected patients and volunteers immunized with HIV-1 vaccines are commonly used to study anti-viral responses, since lymphocytes from the central lymphoid organs are difficult to obtain. Analyses involving PBMC implicitly assume that circulating B cells provide an accurate reflection of the systemic humoral response induced by the HIV antigens. We examined this assumption by comparing the number of B cells secreting IgG anti-gp160/120 antibodies in the peripheral circulation with serum antibody titers. Results indicate that neither the magnitude nor duration of the serologic response detected in HIV-infected patients or gp160/gp120-immunized volunteers reproducibly correlates with the number of B cells secreting anti-envelope antibodies in the blood.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Retroviral Research, CBER/FDA, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Cosentino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shirai
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Conover
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Klinman
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000276:immunology; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000276:immunology; D019302:HIV Envelope Protein gp160; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D015686:Gene Products, env; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D019302:HIV Envelope Protein gp160; C067702:HIVAC-1e; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; C053473:VaxSyn HIV-1 (gp160) vaccine