Human antibodies elicited by a pneumococcal vaccine express idiotypic determinants indicative of V(H)3 gene segment usage.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons manifest decreased antibody responses to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines. Since human antibody responses to polysaccharides are often restricted, the molecular structure of antibodies elicited by a 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine was analyzed. Anti-idiotypic reagents were used to detect V(H)1, V(H)3, and V(H)4 gene usage by antibodies to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides in HIV-uninfected and HIV-infected subjects by ELISA. HIV-uninfected persons generated beta-mercaptoethanol-sensitive and -resistant antibodies to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides expressing V(H)3 determinants recognized by the D12, 16.84, and B6 monoclonal antibodies; antibodies expressing V(H)1 determinants were not detected, and V(H)4 determinants were expressed by beta-mercaptoethanol-sensitive antibodies only; and HIV-infected subjects had significantly lower capsular polysaccharide-specific and V(H)3-positive antibody responses. These findings confirm decreased antibody responses to pneumococcal vaccination in HIV-infected persons and suggest that their poor responses may result from HIV-associated depletion of restricted B cell subsets.
Abadi
J
J
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York 10461, USA.
Friedman
J
J
Mageed
R A
RA
Jefferis
R
R
Rodriguez-Barradas
M C
MC
Pirofski
L
L
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology*; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D001666:Binding Sites, Antibody; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D008623:Mercaptoethanol; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*
D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines; D008623:Mercaptoethanol