Neutralizing Antibody Response and Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity in HIV-1-Infected Individuals from Guinea-Bissau and Denmark

AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2016 May;32(5):434-42. doi: 10.1089/AID.2015.0118. Epub 2016 Jan 7.

Abstract

The development of therapeutic and prophylactic HIV vaccines for African countries is urgently needed, but the question of what immunogens to use needs to be answered. One approach is to include HIV envelope immunogens derived from HIV-positive individuals from a geographically concentrated epidemic with more limited viral genetic diversity for a region-based vaccine. To address if there is a basis for a regional selected antibody vaccine, we have screened two regionally separate cohorts from Guinea-Bissau and Denmark for neutralizing antibody activity and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against local and nonlocal circulating HIV-1 strains. The neutralizing activity did not demonstrate higher potential against local circulating strains according to geography and subtype determination, but the plasma from Danish individuals demonstrated significantly higher inhibitory activity than that from Guinea-Bissau individuals against both local and nonlocal virus strains. Interestingly, an opposite pattern was observed with ADCC activity, where Guinea-Bissau individual plasma demonstrated higher activity than Danish plasma and was specifically against the local circulating subtype. Thus, on basis of samples from these two cohorts, no local-specific neutralizing activity was detected, but a local ADCC response was identified in the Guinea-Bissau samples, suggesting potential use of regional immunogens for an ADCC-inducing vaccine.

MeSH terms

  • AIDS Vaccines / immunology
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / blood
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / immunology*
  • Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity / immunology*
  • Base Sequence / genetics
  • Denmark
  • Female
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • HIV Antibodies / blood
  • HIV Antibodies / immunology*
  • HIV Antigens / immunology*
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / genetics
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / immunology
  • HIV Infections / immunology
  • HIV Infections / virology
  • HIV-1 / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / genetics
  • env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / immunology

Substances

  • AIDS Vaccines
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • HIV Antibodies
  • HIV Antigens
  • HIV Envelope Protein gp120
  • env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
  • gp140 envelope protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1