Predominant autoantibody production by early human B cell precursors

Predominant autoantibody production by early human B cell precursors. epitope and can be used to isolate V3-glycan bnAbs. INTRODUCTION One strategy for the induction of HIV-1 glycan-directed broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) is usually to express trimeric forms of the envelope (Env) in structures that mimic the native trimer and bind to germ lineCexpressing na?ve B cells (1). One problem for HIV-1 vaccine development has been the difficulty in design of such immunogens. Important criteria of Env nativeness are (i) that an HIV-1 antigen binds to bnAbs and (ii) that it can be used as a fluorophore-labeled protein for isolating bnAb-producing memory B cells by binding their B cell receptors (BCRs) (2C5) One such structural design recently reported is the BG505 SOSIP.664 Env trimer protein that presents a native-like Env conformation and is recognized by several classes of trimer-specific bnAbs (6C10). An alternative strategy for mimicking glycan bnAb epitopes is usually to produce immunogens that mimic HIV Env epitopes recognized by bnAb germline antibodies (11), while minimally presenting dominant strain-specific epitopes (12C15), either alone or in the context of heterologous protein scaffolds (16). In studying the ontogeny of the V3-glycan bnAb DH270 lineage isolated from an African HIV-infected Yohimbine hydrochloride (Antagonil) individual, we found that the un-mutated common ancestor (UCA) antibody for the DH270 lineage did not bind HIV-1 Env glycoprotein, either in answer or when expressed as a trimer around the cell surface Yohimbine hydrochloride (Antagonil) (17). Here, we have synthesized a homogeneous and conformationally stable glycopeptide bearing two high-mannose undecasaccharides (Man9) that binds to HIV-1 V3 bnAbs with affinities comparable to that of the native-like BG505.664 SOSIP trimer. We have isolated members of a V3-glycan bnAb clonal lineage using either the synthetic fluorophore-labeled Man9-V3 or SOSIP trimers, thus demonstrating that Man9-V3 mimicked the HIV-1 V3-glycan bnAb epitope. Furthermore, the Man9-V3 glycopeptide bound the UCA of the DH270 V3-glycan bnAb lineage (17) and induced V3-glycanCtargeted antibodies in rhesus macaques. RESULTS Synthesis of Man9-V3 glycopeptide The crystal structure of the HIV-1 V3 bnAb PGT128 in complex with the gp120 Env outer domain made up of a truncated V3 loop revealed the key antibody contacts with its glycosylated epitope (Fig. 1) (18). We synthesized a glycopeptide (Man9-V3) that is based on the clade B JRFL HIV-1 Cd200 isolate composed of the discontinuous epitope of PGT128 with deletion of residues 305 to 320, retention of P321, and stabilization by a disulfide bridge between C296 and C331 (Fig. 1) (18). Man9-V3 glycopeptide was chemically synthesized using a comparable approach used to produce V1V2 glycopeptides (13). As controls, a biotinylated aglycone V3 peptide with no high-mannose glycans (Fig. 1) and a biotinylated Man9 free glycan (Fig. 1 and Supplementary Materials, compound 9) were also synthesized. Open in a separate windows Fig. 1 Design of gp120 V3 domain name broadly neutralizing epitope mimicsStructure of the chemically synthesized Man9-V3-biotin glycopeptide and of aglycone V3-biotin. See procedures for synthesis in Supplementary Text and data set S1. Antigenicity of Man9-V3 glycopeptide In biolayer interferometry (BLI) measurements, the V3-glycan bnAbs PGT128 and PGT125 bound specifically to Man9-V3 glycopeptide but not to aglycone V3 peptide, as did the lectin concanavalin A (fig. S1A), which binds to both mannose and glucose. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) 2G12, which makes central contacts with the terminal mannose models at the tip of the D1 arm of high-mannose glycans (19), also bound to Man9-V3 glycopeptide but not to aglycone V3 peptide (fig. S1A). Each of the N332-glycanCdependent bnAbs (PGT128 and PGT125) showed stronger binding to Man9-V3 glycopeptide than to glycan only (Man9) (fig. S1B), indicating that bnAb contacts with the V3 polypeptide in addition to Man9 glycans (18). In enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of PGT128 (0.35 g/ml) to Man9-V3 was fivefold lower than that of PGT125 (1.75 g/ml) (Fig. 2A). Apparent equilibrium dissociation constant ((NRC Publication, 2011 edition). Isolation of DH706-DH710 rhesus mAbs Man9-V3 and/or aglycone V3Cspecific memory B cells from macaques #5994 and #5996 were sorted by flow cytometry, as previously described (38). Briefly, 1 107 PBMCs were decorated with a B cell antibody panel that cross-reacts with rhesus B cells [CD14 (BV570), CD3 (peridinin chlorophyll proteinCCy5.5), CD20 (FITC), CD27 (APC-Cy7), and IgD (PE) (BD Biosciences)], AF647-tagged Man9-V3, and BV421-tagged Yohimbine hydrochloride (Antagonil) aglycone Yohimbine hydrochloride (Antagonil) V3. Antigen-specific memory B cells were gated as D3?CD14?CD20+CD27+sIgD?, and antibodies were sorted [on the basis of the reactivities Man9-V3+, aglycone V3? (DH706, DH708, and DH710), Man9-V3+, aglycone V3+ (DH707), and Man9-V3?, aglycone V3+ (DH709)] into 96-well PCR plates made up of 20 l of reverse transcription reaction buffer that included 5 l of 5 first-strand cDNA buffer, 1.25 l of Yohimbine hydrochloride (Antagonil) dithiothreitol, 0.5 l of RNaseOUT (Life Technologies), 0.0625.