V3 Loop (v3 + loop)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A model of a gp120 V3 peptide in complex with an HIV-neutralizing antibody based on NMR and mutant cycle-derived constraints

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 3 2000
Anat Zvi
The 0.5, monoclonal antibody is a very potent strain-specific HIV-neutralizing antibody raised against gp120, the envelope glycoprotein of HIV-1. This antibody recognizes the V3 loop of gp120, which is a major neutralizing determinant of the virus. The antibody,peptide interactions, involving aromatic and negatively charged residues of the antibody 0.5,, were studied by NMR and double-mutant cycles. A deuterated V3 peptide and a Fab containing deuterated aromatic amino acids were used to assign these interactions to specific V3 residues and to the amino acid type and specific chain of the antibody by NOE difference spectroscopy. Electrostatic interactions between negatively charged residues of the antibody Fv and peptide residues were studied by mutagenesis of both antibody and peptide residues and double-mutant cycles. Several interactions could be assigned unambiguously: F96(L) of the antibody interacts with Pro13 of the peptide, H52(H) interacts with Ile7, Ile9 and Gln10 and D56(H) interacts with Arg11. The interactions of the light-chain tyrosines with Pro13 and Gly14 could be assigned to either Y30a(L) and Y32(L), respectively, or Y32(L) and Y49(L), respectively. Three heavy-chain tyrosines interact with Ile7, Ile20 and Phe17. Several combinations of assignments involving Y32(H), Y53(H), Y96(H) and Y100a(H) may satisfy the NMR and mutagenesis constraints, and therefore at this stage the interactions of the heavy-chain tyrosines were not taken into account. The unambiguous assignments [F96(L), H52(H) and D56(H)] and the two possible assignments of the light-chain tyrosines were used to dock the peptide into the antibody-combining site. The peptide converges to a unique position within the binding site, with the RGPG loop pointing into the center of the groove formed by the antibody complementary determining regions while retaining the ,-hairpin conformation and the type-VI RGPG turn [Tugarinov, V., Zvi, A., Levy, R. & Anglister, J. (1999) Nat. Struct. Biol.6, 331,335]. [source]


Comparison of two genotypic algorithms to determine HIV-1 tropism,

HIV MEDICINE, Issue 1 2008
C Soulié
Objectives One or both of two co-receptors, CCR5 (R5) and CXCR4 (X4), are used by HIV-1 to enter into host cells. The glycoprotein 120 (gp120) V3 sequence is correlated with the R5 and X4 phenotype. CCR5 inhibitors are specifically active against R5 viruses, suggesting the need to determine tropism before the use of these antagonists. A comparison of the position-specific scoring matrices (PSSM) and Geno2pheno algorithms based on the V3 loop gp120 sequences and previously described to be correlated to the R5 or X4 phenotype was carried out. Methods V3 envelope (env) genes from 83 plasma samples were amplified and sequenced, and 69 sequences were analysed with the PSSM and Geno2pheno algorithms. Results These two algorithms were concordant in 86.5% of cases. The Geno2pheno algorithm gave a tropism result more frequently than the PSSM algorithm, but R5X4 or X4 viruses were less frequently detected by the Geno2pheno algorithm. R5X4 or X4 tropism was predicted in 29.9% of samples. There was more R5X4 co-receptor use in the antiretroviral-treated group than in the antiretroviral-naïve group. Conclusions It is advisable to run a validated co-receptor use prediction tool before using co-receptor antagonists. If genotyping methods are considered, the PSSM and Geno2pheno algorithms are complementary and both are necessary. The association between predicted co-receptor use and virological response to co-receptor antagonists needs to be thoroughly evaluated. [source]


Fifteen years of Env C2V3C3 evolution in six individuals infected clonally with human immunodeficiency virus type 1

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY, Issue 11 2007
Bernd Kupfer
Abstract The study of the evolution of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) requires blood samples collected longitudinally and data on the approximate time point of infection. Although these requirements were fulfilled in several previous studies, the infectious sources were either unknown or heterogeneous genetically. In the present study, HIV-1 env C2V3C3 (nt 7029-7315) evolution was examined retrospectively in a cohort of hemophiliacs. Compared to other cohorts, the area of interest here was the infection of six hemophiliacs by the same virus strain, that is, the infecting viruses shared an identical genome. As expected, divergence from the founder sequence as well as interpatient divergence of the predominant virus strains increased significantly over time. Based on the V3 nucleotide sequences, CCR5 usage was predicted exclusively throughout the whole period of infection in all patients. Interestingly, common patterns of viral evolution were detected in the patients of the cohort. Four amino acid substitutions within the V3 loop emerged and persisted subsequently in five (positions 305 and 308 of the HXB2 gp120 reference sequence) and six patients (positions 325 and 328 in HXB2 gp120), respectively. These common changes within the V3 loop are likely to be enforced by HIV-1 specific immune response. J. Med. Virol. 79:1729,1739, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Production, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the HIV-2-neutralizing V3 loop-specific Fab fragment 7C8

ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION F (ELECTRONIC), Issue 7 2009
Hannes Uchtenhagen
7C8 is a mouse monoclonal antibody that is specific for the third hypervariable loop (V3 loop) of the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) associated protein gp125. Fab fragments of 7C8 effectively neutralize HIV-2. 7C8 was expressed and purified from a hybridoma cell line in order to establish the molecular basis underlying the specificity of the 7C8 antibody for the V3 loop as well as the specific role of the elongated third complementarity-determining region of the heavy chain (CDRH3). The antibody was digested with papain and Fab fragments were purified using size-exclusion chromatography. Hanging-drop vapour-diffusion crystallization techniques were employed and the protein was crystallized in 50,mM ammonium sulfate, 100,mM Tris,HCl pH 8.5, 25%(w/v) PEG 8000 and 2.5%(w/v) PEG 400 at 275,K. The analysed crystals belonged to the rhombohedral space group P3221, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 100.1, c = 196.8,Å, and diffracted to 2.7,Å resolution. [source]