Humoral Response to the HIV-1 Envelope V2 Region in a Thai Early Acute Infection Cohort

Hung  V. Trinh; Neelakshi Gohain; Peter  T. Pham; Christopher Hamlin; Hongshuo Song; Eric Sanders-Buell; Meera Bose; Leigh  A. Eller; Sodsai Tovanabutra; Nelson  L. Michael; Merlin  L. Robb; M.  Gordon Joyce; Mangala Rao

doi:10.3390/cells8040365

Cells (Apr 2019)

Humoral Response to the HIV-1 Envelope V2 Region in a Thai Early Acute Infection Cohort

Hung V. Trinh,
Neelakshi Gohain,
Peter T. Pham,
Christopher Hamlin,
Hongshuo Song,
Eric Sanders-Buell,
Meera Bose,
Leigh A. Eller,
Sodsai Tovanabutra,
Nelson L. Michael,
Merlin L. Robb,
M. Gordon Joyce,
Mangala Rao

Affiliations

Hung V. Trinh: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Neelakshi Gohain: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Peter T. Pham: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Christopher Hamlin: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Hongshuo Song: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Eric Sanders-Buell: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Meera Bose: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Leigh A. Eller: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Sodsai Tovanabutra: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Nelson L. Michael: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Merlin L. Robb: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
M. Gordon Joyce: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
Mangala Rao: U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8040365
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 4
p. 365

Abstract

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Reduced risk of HIV-1 infection correlated with antibody responses to the envelope variable 1 and 2 regions in the RV144 vaccine trial. To understand the relationship between antibody responses, V2 sequence, and structure, plasma samples (n = 16) from an early acute HIV-1 infection cohort from Thailand infected with CRF01_AE strain were analyzed for binding to V2 peptides by surface plasmon resonance. Five participants with a range of V2 binding responses at week 24 post-infection were further analyzed against a set of four overlapping V2 peptides that were designed based on envelope single-genome amplification. Antibody responses that were relatively consistent over the four segments of the V2 region or a focused response to the C-strand (residues 165–186) of the V2 region were observed. Viral escape in the V2 region resulted in significantly reduced antibody binding. Structural modeling indicated that the C-strand and the sites of viral variation were highly accessible in the open conformation of the HIV-1 Env trimer. V2 residues, 165–186 are preferentially targeted during acute infection. Residues 169–184 were also preferentially targeted by the protective immune response in the RV144 trial, thus emphasizing the importance of these residues for vaccine design.

Published in Cells

ISSN: 2073-4409 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Cytology
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/cells

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