UNSPECIFIED. (1995) HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1-NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODIES RAISED TO A GLYCOPROTEIN-41 PEPTIDE EXPRESSED ON THE SURFACE OF A PLANT-VIRUS. AIDS RESEARCH AND HUMAN RETROVIRUSES, 11 (3). pp. 327-334. ISSN 0889-2229

Abstract

An oligonucleotide encoding the amino acids 731-752 of the gp41 envelope protein of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 strain IIIB, which is known to induce cross-reactive neutralizing antibodies in humans, was inserted into a full-length clone of the RNA encoding the coat proteins of cowpea mosaic virus (RNA 2 of CPMV), When transfected together with RNA 1 of CPMV, transcribed RNA 2 was able to replicate in plants and form infectious virions (CPMV-HTV). Purified virions were injected subcutaneously with alum adjuvant into adult C57/SL6 mice to determine their ability to stimulate ELISA and neutralizing antibody specific for HTV-1, Antisera to CPMV-HIV obtained after only two injections gave a strong ELISA response (mean of 1:25,800) using the free gp41 peptide as antigen, showing that the gp41 peptide incorporated into the chimera was immunogenic. The same antisera gave 97% neutralization of HIV-1 IIIB at 1:100 dilution, with a highly uniform response in all (six of six) animals tested, A third injection barely increased the neutralization titer. Normal mouse serum had no neutralizing activity, Antisera also strongly neutralized the HIV-1 strains RF and SF2. ELISA and neutralizing activity to HIV-1 IIB declined after the second injection and were undetectable after 7 weeks, but were restimulated to the same level after the third injection, Neutralization was marginally more stable after the third injection, Antibody specific for CPMV epitopes was equally short lived, A bonus of this system was unexpected neutralizing activity specifically stimulated by unmodified CPMV virions, although this amounted to no more than 10% of the neutralizing activity stimulated by the CPMV-HIV chimera, Neutralizing activity induced by CPMV, but not by CPMV-HIV, could be removed by adsorption with purified CPMV, demonstrating the specificity of the anti-HIV-1 antibody response.

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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