Identification of CD4-Binding Site Dependent Plasma Neutralizing Antibodies in an HIV-1 Infected Indian Individual

Dissecting antibody specificities in the plasma of HIV-1 infected individuals that develop broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) is likely to provide useful information for refining target epitopes for vaccine design. Several studies have reported CD4-binding site (CD4bs) antibodies as neutralization determinants in the plasma of subtype B-infected individuals; however there is little information on the prevalence of CD4bs specificities in HIV-infected individuals in India. Here, we report on the presence of CD4bs antibodies and their contribution to virus neutralization in the plasma from a cohort of HIV-1 infected Indian individuals. Plasma from 11 of the 140 HIV-1 infected individuals (7.9%) studied here exhibited cross-neutralization activity against a panel of subtype B and C viruses. Analyses of these 11 plasma samples for the presence of CD4bs antibodies using two CD4bs-selective probes (antigenically resurfaced HXB2gp120 core protein RSC3 and hyperglycosylated JRFLgp120 mutant ΔN2mCHO) revealed that five (AIIMS 617, 619, 627, 642, 660) contained RSC3-reactive plasma antibodies and only one (AIIMS 660) contained ΔN2mCHO-reactive antibodies. Plasma antibody depletion and competition experiments confirmed that the neutralizing activity in the AIIMS 660 plasma was dependent on CD4bs antibodies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report specifically on the presence of CD4bs antibodies in the plasma of a cohort of HIV-1 infected Indian donors. The identification of CD4bs dependent neutralizing antibodies in an HIV-1 infected Indian donor is a salient finding of this study and is supportive of ongoing efforts to induce similar antibodies by immunization

Identification of a General O-linked Protein Glycosylation System in Acinetobacter baumannii and Its Role in Virulence and Biofilm Formation

Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging cause of nosocomial infections. The isolation of strains resistant to multiple antibiotics is increasing at alarming rates. Although A. baumannii is considered as one of the more threatening “superbugs” for our healthcare system, little is known about the factors contributing to its pathogenesis. In this work we show that A. baumannii ATCC 17978 possesses an O-glycosylation system responsible for the glycosylation of multiple proteins. 2D-DIGE and mass spectrometry methods identified seven A. baumannii glycoproteins, of yet unknown function. The glycan structure was determined using a combination of MS and NMR techniques and consists of a branched pentasaccharide containing N-acetylgalactosamine, glucose, galactose, N-acetylglucosamine, and a derivative of glucuronic acid. A glycosylation deficient strain was generated by homologous recombination. This strain did not show any growth defects, but exhibited a severely diminished capacity to generate biofilms. Disruption of the glycosylation machinery also resulted in reduced virulence in two infection models, the amoebae Dictyostelium discoideum and the larvae of the insect Galleria mellonella, and reduced in vivo fitness in a mouse model of peritoneal sepsis. Despite A. baumannii genome plasticity, the O-glycosylation machinery appears to be present in all clinical isolates tested as well as in all of the genomes sequenced. This suggests the existence of a strong evolutionary pressure to retain this system. These results together indicate that O-glycosylation in A. baumannii is required for full virulence and therefore represents a novel target for the development of new antibiotics

Hyperglycosylated Mutants of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Type 1 Monomeric gp120 as Novel Antigens for HIV Vaccine Design

The ability to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies should be a key component of any forthcoming vaccine against human immunodeficiency virus type 1. One potential vaccine candidate, monomeric gp120, has generally failed to elicit such antibodies. We postulated that gp120 might be a better immunogen if it could be engineered to preferentially bind known broadly neutralizing antibodies. In a first study, we found that four alanine substitutions on the perimeter of the so-called Phe-43 cavity of gp120 could reduce binding of weakly neutralizing CD4-binding site antibodies (R. Pantophlet, E. O. Saphire, P. Poignard, P. W. H. I. Parren, I. A. Wilson, and D. R. Burton, J. Virol. 77:642-658, 2003), while slightly enhancing binding of the potent, broadly neutralizing antibody b12. In the present study, we sought to reduce or abolish the binding of a wider range of nonneutralizing antibodies, by incorporating extra N-glycosylation motifs at select positions into the hypervariable loops and the gp120 core. A hyperglycosylated mutant containing seven extra glycosylation sequons (consensus sequences) and the four alanine substitutions described above did not bind an extensive panel of nonneutralizing and weakly neutralizing antibodies, including a polyclonal immunoglobulin preparation (HIVIG) of low neutralizing potency. Binding of b12, at lowered affinity, and of four antibodies to the C1 and C5 regions was maintained. Removal of N- and C-terminal residues in the C1 and C5 regions, respectively, reduced or abolished binding of the four antibodies, but this also adversely affected b12 binding. The hyperglycosylated mutant and its analogues described here are novel antigens that may provide a new approach to eliciting antibodies with b12-like neutralizing properties

Effect of buffer composition on PNA-RNA hybridization studied in the microfluidic microarray chip

Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are used as the probe species for detection of RNA. A microfluidic microarray (MMA) chip is used as a platform for detection of hybridizations between immobilized PNA probes and RNA targets. The RNA targets used are related to influenza A. This paper discusses the optimization of the two probe technologies used for RNA detection and investigates how the composition of the probe buffer or the content of the hybridization solution can influence the overall results. Our data shows that the PNA probe is a better choice over the DNA probe when there is low salt in the probe buffer composition. Furthermore, we have shown that the absence of salt (NaCl) in the hybridization buffer does not hinder the detection of RNAs. The results conclude that PNA probes are superior to DNA probes in term of sensitivity and adaptability, as PNA immobilization and PNA-RNA hybridization are less affected by salt content in the reaction buffers unlike DNA probes.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Increased Sensitivity to CD4 Binding Site-Directed Neutralization following In Vitro Propagation on Primary Lymphocytes of a Neutralization-Resistant Human Immunodeficiency Virus IIIB Strain Isolated from an Accidentally Infected Laboratory Worker

We previously described the adaptation of the neutralization-sensitive human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strain IIIB to a neutralization-resistant phenotype in an accidentally infected laboratory worker. During long-term propagation of this resistant isolate, designated FF3346, on primary peripheral blood leukocytes in vitro, an HIV-1 variant appeared that had regained sensitivity to neutralization by soluble CD4 (sCD4) and the broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody b12. When an early passage of FF3346 was subjected to limiting-dilution culture in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, eight virus variants with various degrees of neutralization resistance were isolated. Two of them, the sCD4 neutralization-resistant variant LW_H8(res) and the sCD4 neutralization-sensitive variant LW_G9(sens), were selected for further study. Interestingly, these two viruses were equally resistant to neutralization by agents that recognize domains other than the CD4 binding site. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that the increased neutralization sensitivity of variant LW_G9(sens) resulted from only two changes, an Asn-to-Ser substitution at position 164 in the V2 loop and an Ala-to-Glu substitution at position 370 in the C3 domain of gp120. In agreement with this notion, the affinity of b12 for monomeric gp120 containing the N164S and A370E substitutions in the background of the molecular clone LW_H8(res) was higher than its affinity for the parental gp120. Surprisingly, no correlation was observed between CD4 binding affinity for monomeric gp120 and the level of neutralization resistance, suggesting that differences in sCD4 neutralization sensitivity between these viruses are only manifested in the context of the tertiary or quaternary structure of gp120 on the viral surface. The results obtained here indicate that the neutralization-sensitive strain IIIB can become neutralization resistant in vivo under selective pressure by neutralizing antibodies but that this resistance may be easily reversed in the absence of immunological pressure

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Envelope Spike of Primary Viruses Can Suppress Antibody Access to Variable Regions▿

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope spike is a heavily glycosylated trimeric structure in which protein surfaces conserved between different HIV-1 isolates are particularly well hidden from antibody recognition. However, even variable regions on the spike tend to be less antigenic and immunogenic than one might have anticipated for external structures. Here we show that the envelope spike of primary viruses has an ability to restrict antibody recognition of variable regions. We show that access to an artificial epitope, introduced at multiple positions across the spike, is frequently limited, even though the epitope has been inserted at surface-exposed regions on the spike. Based on the data, we posit that restricted antibody access may be the result, at least in part, of a rigidification of the epitope sequence in the context of the spike and/or a highly effective flexible arrangement of the glycan shield on primary viruses. Evolution of the HIV envelope structure to incorporate extra polypeptide sequences into nominally accessible regions with limited antibody recognition may contribute to reducing the magnitude of antibody responses during infection and allow the virus to replicate unhindered by antibody pressure for longer periods

N-Linked Glycan Modifications in gp120 of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Subtype C Render Partial Sensitivity to 2G12 Antibody Neutralization▿

The monoclonal antibody (MAb) 2G12 recognizes a cluster of high-mannose oligosaccharides on the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein gp120 and is one of a select group of MAbs with broad neutralizing activity. However, subtype C viruses are generally resistant to 2G12 neutralization. This has been attributed to the absence of a glycosylation site at position 295 in most subtype C gp120s, which instead is typically occupied by a Val residue. Here we show that N-linked glycans in addition to the one at position 295 are important in the formation of the 2G12 epitope in subtype C gp120. Introduction of the glycosylation site at position 295 into three subtype C molecular clones, Du151.2, COT9.6, and COT6.15, did increase 2G12 binding to all three mutagenized gp120s, but at various levels. The COT9-V295N mutant showed the strongest 2G12 binding and was the only mutant to become sensitive to 2G12 neutralization, although very high antibody concentrations were required. Introduction of a glycosylation site at position 448 into mutant COT6-V295N, which occurs naturally in COT9, resulted in a virus that was partially sensitive to 2G12. Interestingly, a glycosylation site at position 442, which is common among subtype C viruses, also contributed to the 2G12 epitope. The addition of this glycan increased virus neutralization sensitivity to 2G12, whereas its deletion conferred resistance. Collectively, our results indicate that the 2G12 binding site cannot readily be reconstituted on the envelopes of subtype C viruses, suggesting structural differences from other HIV subtypes in which the 2G12 epitope is naturally expressed