Decision letter: Germline VRC01 antibody recognition of a modified clade C HIV-1 envelope trimer and a glycosylated HIV-1 gp120 core

VRC01 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) target the CD4-binding site (CD4BS) of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env). Unlike mature antibodies, corresponding VRC01 germline precursors poorly bind to Env. Immunogen design has mostly relied on glycan removal from trimeric Env constructs and has had limited success in eliciting mature VRC01 bnAbs. To better understand elicitation of such bnAbs, we characterized the inferred germline precursor of VRC01 in complex with a modified trimeric 426c Env by cryo-electron microscopy and a 426c gp120 core by X-ray crystallography, biolayer interferometry, immunoprecipitation, and glycoproteomics. Our results show VRC01 germline antibodies interacted with a wild-type 426c core lacking variable loops 1–3 in the presence and absence of a glycan at position Asn276, with the latter form binding with higher affinity than the former. Interactions in the presence of an Asn276 oligosaccharide could be enhanced upon carbohydrate shortening, which should be considered for immunogen design.

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Correction: Features of Recently Transmitted HIV-1 Clade C Viruses that Impact Antibody Recognition: Implications for Active and Passive Immunization

PLoS Pathogens ◽

10.1371/journal.ppat.1006641 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. e1006641

Author(s):

Cecilia Rademeyer ◽

Bette Korber ◽

Michael S. Seaman ◽

Elena E. Giorgi ◽

Ruwayhida Thebus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Passive Immunization ◽

Antibody Recognition ◽

Clade C ◽

Hiv 1

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Features of Recently Transmitted HIV-1 Clade C Viruses that Impact Antibody Recognition: Implications for Active and Passive Immunization

PLoS Pathogens ◽

10.1371/journal.ppat.1005742 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. e1005742 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Cecilia Rademeyer ◽

Bette Korber ◽

Michael S. Seaman ◽

Elena E. Giorgi ◽

Ruwayhida Thebus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Passive Immunization ◽

Antibody Recognition ◽

Clade C ◽

Hiv 1

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Delineating antibody recognition in polyclonal sera from patterns of HIV-1 isolate neutralization.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.718008930.793478163 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Leonidas Stamatatos ◽

Noah Sather

Keyword(s):

Antibody Recognition ◽

Hiv 1

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Replication-Competent NYVAC-KC Yields Improved Immunogenicity to HIV-1 Antigens in Rhesus Macaques Compared to Nonreplicating NYVAC

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.01513-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 93 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Karen V. Kibler ◽

Benedikt Asbach ◽

Beatriz Perdiguero ◽

Juan García-Arriaza ◽

Nicole L. Yates ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Vaccine Candidate ◽

Rhesus Macaques ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Effective Vaccine ◽

Phase Iii Clinical Trial ◽

Boost Regimen ◽

Clade C ◽

The One ◽

Hiv 1

ABSTRACT As part of the continuing effort to develop an effective HIV vaccine, we generated a poxviral vaccine vector (previously described) designed to improve on the results of the RV144 phase III clinical trial. The construct, NYVAC-KC, is a replication-competent, attenuated recombinant of the vaccinia virus strain NYVAC. NYVAC is a vector that has been used in many previous clinical studies but is replication deficient. Here, we report a side-by-side comparison of replication-restricted NYVAC and replication-competent NYVAC-KC in a nonhuman primate study, which utilized a prime-boost regimen similar to that of RV144. NYVAC-C and NYVAC-C-KC express the HIV-1 antigens gp140, and Gag/Gag-Pol-Nef-derived virus-like particles (VLPs) from clade C and were used as the prime, with recombinant virus plus envelope protein used as the boost. In nearly every T and B cell immune assay against HIV-1, including neutralization and antibody binding, NYVAC-C-KC induced a greater immune response than NYVAC-C, indicating that replication competence in a poxvirus may improve upon the modestly successful regimen used in the RV144 clinical trial. IMPORTANCE Though the RV144 phase III clinical trial showed promise that an effective vaccine against HIV-1 is possible, a successful vaccine will require improvement over the vaccine candidate (ALVAC) used in the RV144 study. With that goal in mind, we have tested in nonhuman primates an attenuated but replication-competent vector, NYVAC-KC, in direct comparison to its parental vector, NYVAC, which is replication restricted in human cells, similar to the ALVAC vector used in RV144. We have utilized a prime-boost regimen for administration of the vaccine candidate that is similar to the one used in the RV144 study. The results of this study indicate that a replication-competent poxvirus vector may improve upon the effectiveness of the RV144 clinical trial vaccine candidate.

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Frequencies of circulating Th1-biased T follicular helper cells in acute HIV-1 infection correlate with the development of HIV-specific antibody responses and lower set point viral load

10.1101/304329 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Omolara Baiyegunhi ◽

Bongiwe Ndlovu ◽

Funsho Ogunshola ◽

Nasreen Ismail ◽

Bruce D. Walker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Viral Load ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

Acute Infection ◽

Antibody Responses ◽

Set Point ◽

Follicular Helper ◽

Clade C ◽

Acute Hiv ◽

Anti Hiv ◽

Hiv 1

AbstractDespite decades of focused research, the field has yet to develop a prophylactic vaccine. In the RV144 vaccine trial, non-neutralizing antibody responses were identified as a correlate for prevention of HIV acquisition. However, factors that predict the development of such antibodies are not fully elucidated. We sought to define the contribution of circulating T follicular helper (cTfh) cell subsets to the development of non-neutralizing antibodies in HIV-1 clade C infection. Study participants were recruited from an acute HIV-1 clade C infection cohort. Plasma anti-gp41, -gp120, -p24 and -p17 antibodies were screened using a customized multivariate Luminex assay. Phenotypic and functional characterization of cTfh were performed using HLA class II tetramers and intracellular cytokine staining. In this study, we found that acute HIV-1 clade C infection skewed differentiation of functional cTfh subsets towards increased Tfh1 (p=0.02) and Tfh2 (p<0.0001) subsets, with a concomitant decrease in overall Tfh1-17 (that shares both Tfh1 and Tfh17 properties) (p=0.01) and Tfh17 subsets (p<0.0001) compared to HIV negative subjects. Interestingly, the frequencies of Tfh1 during acute infection (5.0-8.0 weeks post-infection) correlated negatively with set point viral load (p=0.03, r=-60) and were predictive of p24-specific plasma IgG titers at one year of infection (p=0.003, r=0.85). Taken together, our results suggest that circulating the Tfh1 subset plays an important role in the development of anti-HIV antibody responses and contributes to HIV suppression during acute HIV-1 infection. These results have implications for vaccine studies aimed at inducing long lasting anti-HIV antibody responses.ImportanceThe HIV epidemic in southern Africa accounts for almost half of the global HIV burden with HIV-1 clade C being the predominant strain. It is therefore important to define immune correlates of clade C HIV control that might have implications for vaccine design in this region. T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are critical for the development of HIV-specific antibody responses and could play a role in viral control. Here we showed that the early induction of circulating Tfh1 cells during acute infection correlated positively with the magnitude of p24-specific IgG and was associated with lower set point viral load. This study highlights a key Tfh cell subset that could limit HIV replication by enhancing antibody generation. This study underscores the importance of circulating Tfh cells in promoting non-neutralizing antibodies during HIV-1 infection.

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Neutralizing antibodies induced by first-generation gp41-stabilized HIV-1 envelope trimers and nanoparticles

10.1101/2020.12.02.408328 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sonu Kumar ◽

Xiaohe Lin ◽

Timothy Ngo ◽

Benjamin Shapero ◽

Cindy Sou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Sorting ◽

Neutralizing Antibodies ◽

First Generation ◽

Heptad Repeat ◽

X Ray ◽

X Ray Crystallography ◽

Clade C ◽

Next Generation Sequencing Ngs ◽

Generation Sequencing ◽

Hiv 1

ABSTRACTAntigen-specific B-cell sorting and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were combined to isolate HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) from mice and rabbits immunized with BG505 trimers and nanoparticles. Three mouse NAbs potently neutralize BG505.T332N and recognize a glycan epitope centered at the C3/V4 region, as revealed by electron microscopy (EM), x-ray crystallography, and epitope mapping. Three potent NAbs were sorted from rabbit B cells that target glycan holes on the BG505 envelope glycoprotein (Env) and account for a significant portion of autologous NAb response. We then determined a 3.4Å-resolution crystal structure for the clade C transmitted/founder Du172.17 Env with a redesigned heptad repeat 1 (HR1) bend. This clade C Env, as a soluble trimer and attached to a ferritin nanoparticle, along with a clade A Q482-d12 Env trimer, elicited distinct NAb responses in rabbits. Our study demonstrates that nanoparticles presenting gp41-stabilized trimers can induce potent NAb responses in mice and rabbits with Env-dependent breadth.TEASERMouse and rabbit NAbs elicited by gp41-stabilized trimers and nanoparticles neutralize autologous HIV-1 by targeting different epitopes

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