title: Identification and characterization of broadly cross-reactive neutralizing             antibodies in patients infected with HIV-1 B'/C recombinant (CRF07_BC).
abstract: The identification of broadly cross-reactive neutralizing (BCN) antibodies is essential for the development of a more universally effective vaccine for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In this study, CRF07_BC serum was analyzed for cross-clade antibody reactivity and neutralization. A total of 117 HIV-1 sera (CRF07_BC) were screened for their capacity to neutralize three primary HIV-1 isolates. A total of 18 out of 117 sera cross-neutralized all three viruses, and were tested along with eight randomly selected non-BCN sera against seven primary HIV-1 isolates and two laboratory strains that represented different clades and tropisms. BCN sera neutralized eight or all nine of these primary isolates. Non-BCN sera did not display any broadly cross-reactive neutralizing responses. BCN sera neutralized with higher frequency and geometric mean titers compared to non-BCN sera. Sera from asymptomatic individuals on average neutralized a significantly greater number of the three key isolates than sera from symptomatic individuals. Our data indicate that the three HIV-1 isolated strains are sufficient to screen broad cross-neutralizing sera, and that BCN responses may contribute to protection from infection and disease progression. The neutralizing antibody response demonstrated extensive cross-neutralization, suggesting that neutralizing antibodies induced by vaccines will have a relatively low epitope diversity to overcome in patients infected with HIV-1 B'/C recombinant (CRF07_BC).
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Immunology of AIDS, Ministry of Health, First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, PR China.
authors.forename: Ming-Jia
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: Wen-Qing
authors.initials: WQ
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.forename: Hua-Lu
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Xiao-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dong-Bing
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nian
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Ya-Nan
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D013045:Species Specificity; D056189:Viral Tropism / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D015483:HIV Antibodies