Neutralizing Antibody Responses in Recent Seroconverters in India

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Neutralizing Antibody Responses in Recent Seroconverters with HIV-1

Subtype C Infections in India

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Smita Kulkarni, Srikanth Tripathy, Raman Gangakhedkar, Sushama

Jadhav, Kalpana Agnihotri, Suvarna Sane, Bollinger, Ramesh

Paranjape. AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. September 1, 2008, 24

(9): 1159-1166. doi:10.1089/aid.2007.0296.

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Abstract

The longitudinal heterologous neutralization response against two HIV-

1 subtype C isolates was studied in 33 ART-naive individuals recently

infected with HIV-1 subtype C from India.

Seven of 33 (21%) seroconverters demonstrated a consistent response

against both isolates (65–100% neutralization), whereas the remaining

26 (79%) were nonresponders. Four of the seven responders

demonstrated a neutralization response (>75% neutralization) within 2–

3 months of infection and in the remaining three, the response was

demonstrated between 22 and 38 months after infection. In the past,

HIV vaccines targeted the V3 region for the development of

neutralizing antibodies. However, recent studies have shown that anti-

V3 antibodies are generated after HIV-1 infection, but are not

effective in neutralizing virus.

In this study, the V3 sequences of HIV-1 from seven responders were

analyzed and compared with those from nonresponders. The V3 region

sequences from early and late responders did show certain mutations

that were not found in the nonresponders; however none of these

mutations could explain the neutralization responses. This suggested

that HIV-1 envelope regions other than the V3 domain may be involved

in generating a neutralization response.

This is the first report that describes the pattern of emergence and

persistence of the heterologous neutralization response in recently

HIV-1 subtype C-infected individuals from India and studies its

association with sequence variation in the V3 region.

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Editors note: A pdf version of the full- text of the article is

available from the following url

http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/aid.2007.0296