Two PBMC-based neutralization assays depict low reactivity of both anti-V3 monoclonal antibodies and immune sera against HIV-1 primary isolates.
The neutralizing activity of anti-V3 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and anti-HIV-1 immune sera was tested against HIV-1 laboratory strains and African primary isolates. Neutralization was investigated in Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures by means of two distinct viral titer reduction assays. In these assays, virus was detected by means of either p24 antigen measurement using ELISA or HIV provirus synthesis using PCR, respectively. Anti-V3 MAbs and anti-HIV-1 immune sera neutralized efficiently the homologous laboratory HIV-1 strains used for eliciting immune response but showed no neutralizing activity against most primary isolates. The two neutralization assays used provided similar results. However, a PCR-based assay circumvented the limitations due to low levels of virus replication. The mechanism of resistance of the primary isolates to neutralizing antibodies was complex and was not simply predicted by partial sequence determination of the epitopes. This points out the need for reliable neutralization assays of HIV-1 primary isolates in order to evaluate the role of humoral immunity during HIV-1 infection and for future vaccine strategies.
Candotti
D
D
Laboratoire de Virologie, CNRS EP 57, CERVI, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Rosenheim
M
M
Huraux
J M
JM
Agut
H
H
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000276:immunology; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013045:Species Specificity
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; C059762:HIV envelope protein gp120 (305-321); D010446:Peptide Fragments