title: Cross-clade neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 induced in rabbits by focusing the immune response on a neutralizing epitope.
abstract: Studies were performed to induce cross-clade neutralizing antibodies (Abs) by testing various combinations of prime and boost constructs that focus the immune response on structurally-conserved epitopes in the V3 loop of HIV-1 gp120. Rabbits were immunized with gp120 DNA containing a V3 loop characterized by the GPGR motif at its tip, and/or with gp120 DNA with a V3 loop carrying the GPGQ motif. Priming was followed by boosts with V3-fusion proteins (V3-FPs) carrying the V3 sequence from a subtype B virus (GPGR motif), and/or with V3 sequences from subtypes A and C (GPGQ motif). The broadest and most consistent neutralizing responses were generated when using a clade C gp120 DNA prime and with the V3(B)-FP boost. Immune sera displayed neutralizing activity in three assays against pseudoviruses and primary isolates from subtypes A, AG, B, C, and D. Polyclonal Abs in the immune rabbit sera neutralized viruses that were not neutralized by pools of human anti-V3 monoclonal Abs. Greater than 80% of the neutralizing Abs were specific for V3, showing that the immune response could be focused on a neutralizing epitope and that vaccine-induced anti-V3 Abs have cross-clade neutralizing activity.
authors.affiliation: New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY, USA. zollas01@med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zolla-Pazner
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pinter
authors.forename: Chavdar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krachmarov
authors.forename: Terri
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wrin
authors.forename: Shixia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D004279:DNA, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; C059762:HIV envelope protein gp120 (305-321); D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins