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Proviral sequences were determined and immunologic characterization was carried out for envelope glycoproteins from 7 vaccinees who became infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), through high-risk behavior, while participating in clinical trials of MN-rgp120, a candidate HIV-1 vaccine. All 7 infections resulted from subtype B viruses; however, only 3 of the viruses possessed the MN serotype-defining V3 domain sequence, IGPGRAF, prevalent in 60%-70% of US infections. Six of the 7 viruses differed from MN-rgp120 at a neutralizing epitope in the C4 domain, and all 7 differed from MN-rgp120 at a neutralizing epitope in the V2 domain. Recombinant gp120 was prepared from each breakthrough specimen and tested for binding to a panel of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. The results suggest that 6 of 7 breakthrough infections may be related to incomplete immunization or to infection with viruses that differed from the vaccine immunogen at important virus-neutralizing epitopes.

Three chimpanzees immunized with recombinant gp120 from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) strain MN and 1 control animal were challenged intravenously with a primary isolate of HIV-1SF2. Viral infection was detected in the control animal by viral culture, polymerase chain reaction, and multiple serologic assays beginning 2 weeks after infection. Markers of HIV-1 infection were not detected in any of the gp120-vaccinated animals during 12 months of follow-up. Antisera from the gp120-immunized chimpanzees were unable to neutralize the challenge virus cultured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). These studies demonstrate that immunization with recombinant gp120 derived from a T cell-adapted isolate prevented infection by a heterologous primary isolate of HIV-1. The results suggest that in vitro virus neutralization assays utilizing primary isolates cultured in PBMC may be imperfect indicators of protection in vivo.

Objective: To assess similarities and differences in antibody responses to recombinant (r) HIV-1IIIB gp120 in chimpanzees, previously protected from HIV-1 infection, and human volunteers immunized in connection with a Phase I clinical trial., Methods: Frozen sera from humans immunized with rgp120 from HIV-1IIIB and chimpanzees immunized with the same antigen or recombinant soluble gp160 were compared in a variety of serologic assays., Results: The magnitude of the antibody response to gp120 was similar in both species; however, the half-life of the antibody response to rgp120 was approximately 4.5 times longer in humans (9 weeks) than in chimpanzees (2 weeks). Antibodies to gp120 in both species were broadly cross-reactive with gp120 from diverse isolates of HIV-1 and were effective in blocking the binding of gp120 to CD4. Antibody binding to native gp120 was greater than to denatured gp120 in both species. Antibody responses to the principal neutralizing determinant (V3 domain) and virus neutralization titers were approximately 10-fold lower in humans than chimpanzees. The relative avidity of antibody binding to gp120 was higher in the sera from the immunized chimpanzees than in the immunized humans., Conclusions: While the antibody responses to rgp120 elicited in man and chimpanzees were in many ways similar, significant differences did occur. Predictions made on the basis of chimpanzee immunogenicity studies over-estimated the potency of the virus neutralizing titers and under-estimated the duration of the antibody response achieved in humans.

The binding properties of seven CD4-blocking monoclonal antibodies raised against recombinant gp120 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 strain MN (HIV-1MN) and two CD4-blocking monoclonal antibodies to recombinant envelope glycoproteins gp120 and gp160 of substrain IIIB of HIVLAI were analyzed. With a panel of recombinant gp120s from seven diverse HIV-1 isolates, eight of the nine antibodies were found to be strain specific and one was broadly cross-reactive. Epitope mapping revealed that all nine antibodies bound to epitopes located in the fourth conserved domain (C4) of gp120. Within this region, three distinct epitopes could be identified: two were polymorphic between HIV-1 strains, and one was highly conserved. Studies with synthetic peptides demonstrated that the conserved epitope, recognized by antibody 13H8, was located between residues 431 and 439. Site-directed mutagenesis of gp120 demonstrated that residue 429 and/or 432 was critical for the binding of the seven antibodies to gp120 from HIV-1MN. Similarly, residues 423 and 429 were essential for the binding of monoclonal antibody 5C2 raised against gp120 from HIV-1IIIB. The amino acids located at positions 423 and 429 were found to vary between strains of HIV-1 as well as between molecular clones derived from the MN and LAI isolates of HIV-1. Polymorphism at these positions prevented the binding of virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies and raised the possibility that HIV-1 neutralization serotypes may be defined on the basis of C4 domain sequences. Analysis of the binding characteristics of the CD4-blocking antibodies demonstrated that their virus-neutralizing activity was directly proportional to their gp120-binding affinity. These studies account for the strain specificity of antibodies to the C4 domain of gp120 and demonstrate for the first time that antibodies to this region can be as effective as those directed to the principal neutralizing determinant (V3 domain) in neutralizing HIV-1 infectivity.

Ten monoclonal antibodies prepared against a soluble, recombinant form of gp160, derived from the IIIB isolate of HIV-1, were characterized. Four of the antibodies neutralized HIV-1IIIB infectivity in vitro, three blocked the binding of recombinant gp120 to CD4, three were reactive with gp41, and one preferentially reacted with an epitope on gp120 within the gp160 precursor. All three CD4 blocking antibodies bound to distinct epitopes, with one mapping to the C1 domain, one mapping to the C4 domain, and one reactive with a conformation-dependent, discontinuous epitope. Of these, the antibody reactive with the discontinuous epitope exhibited neutralizing activity against homologous and heterologous strains of HIV-1. The binding of these monoclonal antibodies to a panel of seven recombinant gp120s prepared from diverse isolates of HIV-1 was measured, and monoclonal antibodies with broad cross reactivity were identified. The epitopes recognized by 7 of the 10 monoclonal antibodies studied were localized by their reactivity with synthetic peptides and with fragments of gp120 expressed as fusion proteins in a lambda gt-11 gp160 epitope library.

Vaccines prepared from the envelope glycoprotein, gp120, of the common laboratory isolate of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) (IIIB/LAV-1) elicit antibodies that neutralize the homologous virus but show little if any cross-neutralizing activity. This may be because the principal neutralizing determinant (PND) of gp120 is highly unusual in the IIIB/LAV-1 strain and is not representative of those found in the majority of field isolates. We have now examined the immunogenicity of recombinant gp120 prepared from the MN strain of HIV-1 (MN-rgp120), whose PND is thought to be representative of approximately 60% of the isolates in North America. Our results show that MN-rgp120 is a potent immunogen and elicits anti-gp120 titers comparable to those found in HIV-1-infected individuals. While both MN-rgp120 and IIIB-rgp120 induced antibodies able to block gp120 binding to CD4, strain-specific and type-common blocking antibodies were detected. Finally, antibodies to MN-rgp120 but not to IIIB-rgp120 were effective in neutralizing a broad range of laboratory and clinical isolates of HIV-1. These studies demonstrate that susceptibility or resistance to neutralization by antibodies to gp120 correlates with the PND sequence and suggest that the problem of antigenic variation may not be insurmountable in the development of an effective AIDS vaccine.

The development of a vaccine to provide protective immunity to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the virus causing AIDS, would be the most practical method to control its spread. Subunit vaccines consisting of virus envelope glycoproteins, produced by recombinant DNA technology, are effective in preventing viral infections. We have now used this approach in the development of a candidate AIDS vaccine. Chimpanzees were immunized with recombinant forms of the HIV-1 glycoproteins gp120 and gp160 produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells, and then challenged with HIV-1. The control and the two animals immunized with the gp160 variant became infected within 7 weeks of challenge. The two animals immunized with the gp120 variant have shown no signs of infection after more than 6 months. These studies demonstrate that recombinant gp120, formulated in an adjuvant approved for human use, can elicit protective immunity against a homologous strain of HIV-1.