Increasing the potency and breadth of an HIV antibody by using structure-based rational design

Antibodies against the CD4 binding site (CD4bs) on the HIV-1 spike protein gp120 can show exceptional potency and breadth. We determined structures of NIH45-46, a more potent clonal variant of VRC01, alone and bound to gp120. Comparisons with VRC01-gp120 revealed that a four-residue insertion in heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 (CDRH3) contributed to increased interaction between NIH45-46 and the gp120 inner domain, which correlated with enhanced neutralization. We used structure-based design to create NIH45-46(G54W), a single substitution in CDRH2 that increases contact with the gp120 bridging sheet and improves breadth and potency, critical properties for potential clinical use, by an order of magnitude. Together with the NIH45-46-gp120 structure, these results indicate that gp120 inner domain and bridging sheet residues should be included in immunogens to elicit CD4bs antibodies.     

Crystal structure of a neutralizing human IGG against HIV-1: a template for vaccine design

We present the crystal structure at 2.7 angstrom resolution of the human antibody IgG1 b12. Antibody b12 recognizes the CD4-binding site of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) gp120 and is one of only two known antibodies against gp120 capable of broad and potent neutralization of primary HIV-1 isolates. A key feature of the antibody-combining site is the protruding, finger-like long CDR H3 that can penetrate the recessed CD4-binding site of gp120. A docking model of b12 and gp120 reveals severe structural constraints that explain the extraordinary challenge in eliciting effective neutralizing antibodies similar to b12. The structure, together with mutagenesis studies, provides a rationale for the extensive cross-reactivity of b12 and a valuable framework for the design of HIV-1 vaccines capable of eliciting b12-like activity.     

Cardiolipin polyspecific autoreactivity in two broadly neutralizing HIV-1 antibodies

The design of a human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) immunogen that can induce broadly reactive neutralizing antibodies is a major goal of HIV-1 vaccine development. Although rare human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) exist that broadly neutralize HIV-1, HIV-1 envelope immunogens do not induce these antibody specificities. Here we demonstrate that the two most broadly reactive HIV-1 envelope gp41 human mAbs, 2F5 and 4E10, are polyspecific autoantibodies reactive with the phospholipid cardiolipin. Thus, current HIV-1 vaccines may not induce these types of antibodies because of autoantigen mimicry of the conserved membrane-proximal epitopes of the virus. These results may have important implications for generating effective neutralizing antibody responses by using HIV-1 vaccines.     

抗H9亚型AIV血凝素单克隆抗体的制备及亚型鉴定

用基因疫苗pcDNA-H9、纯化H9N2亚型AIV和重组噬菌体T4-H9HA免疫Balb/C小鼠,细胞融合后用HI和ELISA方法筛选出5株抗H9亚型AIV HA的特异性单克隆抗体H9-01(2E6)、H9-02(3B1)、H9-03(3H11)、H9-04(1A4)、H9-05(2G9)。各株单抗亚型测定的结果为H9-01、H9-02和H9-05均为IgG2b,H9-03为IgG1,H9-04为IgG2a,轻链的亚型均为kappa链。经特异性和与同型病毒的反应谱检测,它们均是HA特异性单克隆抗体。为进一步分析H9N2亚型AIV的结构与功能以及建立监测该亚型AIV的试剂盒奠定了基础。     

Conserved sequence and structural elements in the HIV-1 principal neutralizing determinant

The principal neutralizing determinant (PND) of human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1 is part of a disulfide bridged loop in the third variable region of the external envelope protein, gp120. Analysis of the amino acid sequences of this domain from 245 different HIV-1 isolates revealed that the PND is less variable than thought originally. Conservation to better than 80 percent of the amino acids in 9 out of 14 positions in the central portion of the PND and the occurrence of particular oligopeptide sequences in a majority of the isolates suggest that there are constraints on PND variability. One constraining influence may be the structural motif (beta strand--type II beta turn--beta strand--alpha helix) predicted for the consensus PND sequence by a neural network approach. Isolates with a PND similar to the commonly investigated human T cell lymphoma virus IIIB (HTLV-IIIB) and LAV-1 (BRU) strains were rare, and only 14 percent of sera from 86 randomly selected HIV-1 seropositive donors contained antibodies that recognized the PND of these virus isolates. In contrast, over 65 percent of these sera reacted with peptides containing more common PND sequences. These results suggest that HIV vaccine immunogens chosen because of their similarity to the consensus PND sequence and structure are likely to induce antibodies that neutralize a majority of HIV-1 isolates.     

抗H9N2 AIV HA单克隆抗体的制备及其在胶体金层析检测中的初步应用

用基因疫苗pcDNA-H9和纯化H9N2亚型AIV免疫Balb/C小鼠,细胞融合后用HI和ELISA方法筛选出5株抗H9亚型AIV HA的特异性单克隆抗体H9-01(2E6),H9-02(3B1),H9-03(3H11),H9-04(1A4),H9-05(2G9)。各株单抗亚型测定的结果为H9-01,H9-02和H9-05均为IgG2b,H9-03为IgG1,H9-04为IgG2a,轻链的亚型均为kappa链。经特异性和与同型病毒的反应谱检测,它们均是HA特异性单克隆抗体。用制备的抗H9亚型AIV HA的单克隆抗体做成胶体金层析检测试纸条,可以检测到200个EID50的H9亚型AIV,为监测该亚型AIV试剂盒的进一步商品化奠定了基础。     

Erratum

In the report "Broadly neutralizing antibodies elicited by the hypervariable neutralizing determinant of HIV-1" by K. Javaherian et al. (14 Dec., p. 1590), the headings for tables 4 and 5 on page 1592 were incorrectly interchanged.     

Type-restricted neutralization of molecular clones of human immunodeficiency virus

In a study of the immunologic significance of the genetic diversity present within single isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the neutralization of viruses derived from molecular clones of the HIV-1 strain HTLV-IIIB by an extensive panel of sera was compared. Sera from HIV-1-infected patients and from goats immunized with polyacrylamide gel-purified HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (gp120), native gp120, or gp120-derived recombinant peptides, showed marked heterogeneity in neutralizing activity against these closely related viruses. The change of a single amino acid residue in gp120 may account for such "clonal restriction" of neutralizing activity.     

Analysis of RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase Sequence of Infectious Flacherie Virus Isolated in China and Its Expression in BmN Cells

Full gene sequence of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase （RdRp） from Bombyx mori infectious flacherie virus isolated in Zhejiang Province, China （Zhejiang01/CHN/2002） was cloned. The sequence was 1 920 nucleotides in length coding 639 amino acid residues. Sequences comparison of RdRp showed Zhejiang01/CHN/2002 was 99.7% nucleotide sequence and 99.1% amino acids sequence homology with Japanese strain. The RdRp sequence was aligned with 8 representative picorna（-like） viruses and 8 highly conserved regions were detected. The result indicated their relevance function. Phylogenetic tree of 14 picorna（-like） viruses which RdRp presumed protein sequences revealed that the viruses from Iflavirus genus formed an independent clade. The RdRp was successfully expressed in BmN cells using Bac-to-Bac expression system.     

Antibody active sites and immunoglobulin molecules

In order to obtain detailed information about the relationship between structure and function in antibody molecules, a method called affinity labeling has been devised to attach chemical labels specifically to amino acid residues in the active sites of antibody molecules. With antibodies to three different haptens, highly specific labeling of the active sites has been achieved. Tyrosine residues on both heavy and light polypeptide chains have been labeled in a molar ratio close to 2:1, and labels on the two chains are equally specific to the active sites. Peptide fragmentation studies of the labeled chains of one antibody system have shown that: (i) within 25 amino acid residues of the labeled tyrosine on either chain, substantial chemical heterogeneity exists among different antibody molecules of the same specificity; and (ii) the labeled peptide fragments from both chains are very similar in physicochemical characteristics, including average size, heterogeneity, and unusual hydrophobicity. These experimental results have led us to the view that a particular region of the heavy chain and a particular region of the light chain are utilized to construct the active sites of the three different antibodies, differences in specificity arising from chemical perturbations in these two regions. Correlated structural studies of affinity-labeled antibodies and of the homogeneous light chains (Bence Jones proteins) and heavy chains produced in multiple myeloma may permit the identification of these special active-site regions. The view that active sites of different specificity are chemical perturbations of a particular region of the antibody molecule has a possible close analogue in enzyme systems, particularly among the esterases. The marked chemical similarities we have observed between the active site regions of heavy and light chains indicate to us that chemical homologies, but not identities, exist between the chains. This is reinforced by recently obtained amino acid sequence data which reveal homologies between the two chains near their carboxyl-terminals. These results indicate that the structural genes which code for the synthesis of heavy and light chains are related, presumably having arisen from some common ancestral gene during evolution. This conclusion strongly suggests that both heavy and light chains determine antibody specificity, and has important implications for the still-unknow mechanisms of antibody biosynthesis.     

Antibody-enhanced infection by HIV-1 via Fc receptor-mediated entry

Monocytes and macrophages, which may play a central role in the pathogenesis of infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), express the CD4 molecule and Fc receptors (FcR) for immunoglobulin G (IgG). To explore the possibility that FcR mediate HIV-1 infection of monocytes, studies were conducted with the human monocytic cell line U937. These cells were exposed to HIV-1 complexed with various concentrations of serum from HIV-1 antibody-positive individuals and monitored for HIV-1 replication. Serum samples from antibody-negative normal individuals did not affect virus yields. High concentrations of antibody-positive sera showed virus-neutralizing activity; however, cells infected with HIV-1 in the presence of antibody-positive sera at subneutralizing concentrations significantly enhanced virus replication. This infection enhancement was blocked by heat-aggregated gamma-globulin. Moreover, the IgG fraction from an HIV-1 antibody-positive serum enhanced HIV-1 infection at the same serum dilution equivalents. In contrast, IgG-F(ab')2 did not enhance HIV-1 infection but showed neutralizing activity with HIV-1. These results are compatible with the concept of FcR-mediated infection enhancement and suggest that this immunological response to HIV-1, instead of protecting the host, potentially facilitates the infection.     

Identification of the envelope V3 loop as the primary determinant of cell tropism in HIV-1

Cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage are targets for human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection in vivo. However, many laboratory strains of HIV-1 that efficiently infect transformed T cell lines replicate poorly in macrophages. A 20-amino acid sequence from the macrophage-tropic BaL isolate of HIV-1 was sufficient to confer macrophage tropism on HTLV-IIIB, a T cell line--tropic isolate. This small sequence element is in the V3 loop, the envelope domain that is the principal neutralizing determinant of HIV-1. Thus, the V3 loop not only serves as a target of the host immune response but is also pivotal in determining HIV-1 tissue tropism.     

Synthetic peptide immunoassay distinguishes HIV type 1 and HIV type 2 infections

Efforts to solve the epidemiologic puzzle of AIDS in Africa are complicated by the presence of multiple human retroviruses. Simple serologic tests that unambiguously distinguish among infections by these retroviruses are essential. To that end, a partially conserved immunoreactive epitope was identified in the transmembrane glycoproteins of human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) types 1 and 2. Synthetic peptides derived from these conserved domains were used in sensitive and specific immunoassays that detect antibodies in sera from patients infected with HIV-1 or HIV-2. By making single amino acid substitutions in the HIV-1 peptide, it was possible to demonstrate HIV-1 strain-specific antibody responses to this epitope. Such custom-designed peptides synthesized from this domain are likely to detect newly discovered HIV types, define infection with specific HIV strains, and allow detection of group-common antibodies.     

Electrophoretic heterogeneity of polypeptide chains of specific antibodies

Heavy and light polypeptide chains isolated from different specific antibodies to haptens and from (gamma)G-immunoglobulin of normal rabbits have been resolved into distinct, multiple components by disc electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels in the presence of urea. In spite of the resolution of these chains into multiple bands, different specific antibodies and normal rabbit (gamma)G-immunoglobulin were indistinguishable from each other by this method.     

Protein design of an HIV-1 entry inhibitor

Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) membrane fusion is promoted by the formation of a trimer-of-hairpins structure that brings the amino- and carboxyl-terminal regions of the gp41 envelope glycoprotein ectodomain into close proximity. Peptides derived from the carboxyl-terminal region (called C-peptides) potently inhibit HIV-1 entry by binding to the gp41 amino-terminal region. To test the converse of this inhibitory strategy, we designed a small protein, denoted 5-Helix, that binds the C-peptide region of gp41. The 5-Helix protein displays potent (nanomolar) inhibitory activity against diverse HIV-1 variants and may serve as the basis for a new class of antiviral agents. The inhibitory activity of 5-Helix also suggests a strategy for generating an HIV-1 neutralizing antibody response that targets the carboxyl-terminal region of the gp41 ectodomain.     

HIV-1-infected T cells show a selective signaling defect after perturbation of CD3/antigen receptor

The binding of antigen or monoclonal antibody to the T cell receptor for antigen or the closely associated CD3 complex causes increases in the concentration of intracellular ionized calcium and subsequent cell proliferation. By measuring second messenger production in primary cultures of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1)--infected T cells stimulated with monoclonal antibodies specific for either CD3 or CD2, a specific impairment of membrane signaling was revealed. The HIV-1--infected T cells were unable to mobilize Ca2+ after stimulation with anti-CD3, whereas CD2-induced calcium mobilization remained intact. Furthermore, the HIV-1--infected cells proliferated poorly after CD3 stimulation, although the cells retained normal DNA synthesis in response to interleukin-2 stimulation. These results show that the signals initiated by CD2 and CD3 can be regulated independently within the same T cell; uncoupling of signal transduction after antigen-specific stimulation provides a biochemical mechanism to explain, in part, the profound immunodeficiency of patients with HIV-1 infection.     

抗犬瘟热病毒单克隆抗体杂交瘤细胞株的建立

[目的]筛选出稳定分泌抗犬瘟热病毒单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株。[方法]用纯化的犬瘟热病毒(CDV)抗原免疫BALB/c小鼠,取脾细胞与SP2/0骨髓瘤细胞融合,经间接ELISA和有限稀释法克隆杂交瘤细胞。研究了杂交瘤细胞的稳定性和染色体数,测定了单克隆抗体的效价并鉴定其特异性和亚型。[结果]经反复筛选和亚克隆后,共获得3株能稳定分泌抗CDV单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株。3株单抗对CDV均有较高的特异性,与犬传染性肝炎病毒、犬细小病毒均不反应。3株杂交瘤细胞的腹水效价为1∶(8 000~128 000),细胞培养上清效价为1∶(256~512),染色体数为80~100。3株单克隆抗体重链均属于IgG1,轻链均属于κ链。[结论]该研究为研制CDV快速检测试剂盒奠定了基础。     

犬瘟热病毒F蛋白单克隆抗体的制备及鉴定

[目的]获得犬瘟热病毒F蛋白特异性单克隆抗体。[方法]用纯化的大肠杆菌BL21表达的犬瘟热病毒重组F蛋白作为抗原,免疫BALB/c小鼠,采用传统的杂交瘤技术制备单克隆抗体。用ELISAI、FA、Western-blot、细胞中和试验鉴定各株单抗的生物学特性。[结果]获得7株稳定分泌犬瘟热F蛋白单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株(2D6,3E10,3A2,5B7,5F6,6H8,9B6);单抗亚类鉴定结果分别为IgG2a,IgG1,IgG2b,IgG1,IgG1,IgG2a和IgG1;细胞中和试验初步证实2株单抗(5B7,9B6)具有中和犬瘟热病毒感染Vero细胞的作用,中和效价分别为1∶320和1∶640;经ELISA相加试验证实7株单抗的作用位点不同,其中2D6,5F6的作用位点非常相近。[结论]该研究成功制备了7株抗犬瘟热F蛋白特异性单抗,为进一步研究犬瘟热病毒F蛋白和临床诊断打下良好的基础。     

Blocking of HIV-1 infectivity by a soluble, secreted form of the CD4 antigen

The initial event in the infection of human T lymphocytes, macrophages, and other cells by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) is the attachment of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 to its cellular receptor, CD4. As a step toward designing antagonists of this binding event, soluble, secreted forms of CD4 were produced by transfection of mammalian cells with vectors encoding versions of CD4 lacking its transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. The soluble CD4 so produced binds gp120 with an affinity and specificity comparable to intact CD4 and is capable of neutralizing the infectivity of HIV-1. These studies reveal that the high-affinity CD4-gp120 interaction does not require other cell or viral components and may establish a novel basis for therapeutic intervention in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).