Antibodies to CD4-induced sites in HIV gp120 correlate with the control of SHIV challenge in macaques vaccinated with subunit immunogens.
Epitopes located in and around the coreceptor binding site of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (gp120) exhibit enhanced exposure after attachment to the CD4 receptor and comprise some of the most conserved and functionally important residues on the viral envelope. Therefore, antibody responses to these epitopes [designated as CD4-induced (CD4i)] should be highly cross-reactive and potentially useful for HIV vaccine development. To address this question, rhesus macaques were vaccinated with subunit immunogens designed to raise humoral responses against CD4i epitopes and challenged rectally with SHIV(162P3), which encodes a heterologous envelope versus the immunogen. We found that animals vaccinated with a rhesus full-length single-chain (rhFLSC) complex exhibited significantly accelerated clearance of plasma viremia and an absence of long-term tissue viremia compared with unvaccinated control animals. Such control of infection correlated with stronger responses to CD4i epitopes in the rhFLSC-vaccinated animals, compared with macaques immunized with gp120, cross-linked gp120-CD4 complexes, or soluble CD4 alone. These responses were strongly boosted in the rhFLSC-vaccinated animals by SHIV(162P3) infection. The control of infection was not associated with anti-CD4 responses, overall anti-gp120-binding titers, or neutralizing activity measured in conventional assays. Vaccine-naive animals also developed anti-CD4i epitope responses after simian/ human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) challenge, which appeared later than the overall anti-gp120 responses and in concert with the decline of viremia to a low set point. Collectively, these data suggest that antibodies to CD4i epitopes may play a role in controlling SHIV infection and provide insights for HIV vaccine development.
DeVico
Anthony
A
Basic Research and Vaccine and Epidemiology Divisions, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. devico@umbi.umd.edu
Fouts
Timothy
T
Lewis
George K
GK
Gallo
Robert C
RC
Godfrey
Karla
K
Charurat
Manhattan
M
Harris
Ilia
I
Galmin
Lindsey
L
Pal
Ranajit
R
D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016180:Lentivirus Infections / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D008251:Macaca / Q000276:immunology*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit / Q000276:immunology*
D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D012367:RNA, Viral; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit