title: Antiretroviral therapy-induced functional modification of IgG4 and IgM responses in HIV-1-infected individuals screened by an allosteric biosensor.
abstract: We have explored the effect of antiretroviral drugs on the antiviral immune response in human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1)-infected patients by using an enzymatic immunosensor that detects epitope-modifying anti-gp41 antibodies. By this molecular sensing approach, we have identified an irreversible impact of drug administration on the functionality of IgG4 and IgM specific antibodies regarding the structural modification promoted on their target epitope. During the antiretroviral therapy, the prevalent induced fit promoted by IgM on the epitope was lost at the expense of that promoted by IgG4, suggesting alternative-ness in the neutralization potency of these antibody subpopulations. Because the particular drug composition of the antiretroviral treatment did not affect such immune shift, the obtained data strongly suggest that the drop in the viral load and the consequent lost of antigenemia are responsible for the functional adaptation observed in the humoral response.
authors: Departament de Matemàtica Aplicada IV, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Campus Nord, Barcelona, Spain.
authors: Rosa María
authors: RM
authors: Ferraz
authors: Miguel Angel
authors: MA
authors: Martínez
authors: Rafael
authors: R
authors: Cubarsi
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Villaverde
mesh_terms: D000494:Allosteric Regulation; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology*; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M