title: Broadly reactive antibodies against a gp120 V3 loop multi-epitope polypeptide neutralize different isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1).
abstract: A gene encoding for a novel multi-epitope polypeptide (TAB4) was synthesized and expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein was composed of 15 amino acid fragments derived from the V3 loop of HIV-1 isolates MN, IIIB, RF, JY1, BRVA and LR150, joined by five-amino-acid linkers. Immunogenicity of TAB4 in rabbits was studied, and the antibody response against individual peptides investigated. TAB4 was shown to be immunogenic in Complete Freund's Adjuvant in a dose-dependent manner, and was able to elicit a humoral response against all V3 epitopes included on the protein. Sera from some of the animals were able to neutralize the replication of viral strain MN, and in one case IIIB, with moderate titers. Some sera also neutralized several Cuban clinical strains, isolated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, after one round of amplification in MT4 cells.
authors.affiliation: Vaccine Division, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Cubanacán, Havana, Cuba.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montero
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menéndez
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Navea
authors.forename: O L
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Vilarubia
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quintana
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Izquierdo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lobaina
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Noa
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Duarte
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions / Q000276:immunology*; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120