HTLV-III Antigens Research Articles

Relationship between HTLV-III neutralizing antibody and clinical status of pediatric acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex cases.

To investigate a possible protective role of HTLV-III neutralizing antibodies in individuals exposed to the virus, sera of children with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related complex were analyzed for neutralizability of HTLV-IIIB infectivity. Twelve pediatric patients (nine acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, three acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related complex) were clinically stable and had survived more than 2 yr postonset. Their predominant clinical problems included lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia, candidiasis, recurrent bacterial infections, failure to thrive, and lymphadenopathy. Twelve additional children (all acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) were classified as clinically poor; 10 of them had died. Their median length of survival was less than 2 yr, and their disease spectrum included progressive encephalopathy, thymic depletion or atrophy, and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in addition to many of the clinical features of the stable children. All (100%) of the stable patients possessed serum neutralizing antibody in contrast to only one of the 12 (8%) clinically poor patients. A simple decline in immunologic reactivity to HTLV-III antigens with disease progression did not account for this difference, since HTLV-III antibody titers of the clinically poor cases (1 X 10(2) to 1 X 10(7)) ranged as high as those of the stable cases (1 X 10(4) to 1 X 10(7)) when measured by the ELISA technique. Although stable cases possessed a higher geometric mean titer (2.8 X 10(5)) by ELISA than the poor cases (4 X 10(4)), this difference was not statistically significant. Serial serum samples from stable children exhibited continual neutralizing antibody activity while two of three clinically poor cases lacked neutralizing activity in serial specimens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Spectrum of natural antibodies against five HTLV-III antigens in infected individuals: correlation of antibody prevalence with clinical status

The genome of the HTLV-III/LAV retrovirus, the etiologic agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), encodes the viral structural proteins (envelope and core proteins), the reverse transcriptase, a transactivation protein (tat-III), as well as two other proteins (3'orf, sor) of unknown function. We studied the prevalence of natural antibodies against envelope, gag, 3'orf, sor, and tat-III in the sera of HTLV-III infected individuals in an attempt to correlate clinical status with seropositivity to specific HTLV-III antigens. We selected 101 sera; 16 were obtained from normal donors with no known risk factors, and 85 were from patients with full-fledged AIDS (28 cases), AIDS-related complex (ARC, 22 cases), and healthy people at risk (homosexuals, intravenous [IV] drug users, relatives of AIDS patients; 35 cases). Seropositivity for antibodies against the envelope (gp41) and gag antigens (p15, p24) was determined by Western blot using disrupted HTLV-III virions. Of the 101 sera, all 16 from nonrisk donors and 3/35 from healthy at-risk donors were negative for antibodies against either the gp41 or p15 and p24. The remaining 82 sera were seropositive for either the gp41 and/or the p15 and p24. All sera were then tested against the three known HTLV-III antigens (3'orf, sor, and tat-III) that have been synthesized in bacteria. Our data indicate that all the HTLV-III antigens tested are immunogenic in vivo. No significant difference in antibody prevalence to gp41 (close to 100%) and to the 3'orf, sor, and tat-III proteins (approximately 50%) was observed with regard to stage of the disease. In contrast, the prevalence of antibodies against the core antigens decreased from approximately 100% in infected people with no clinical signs of disease to 50% in ARC and AIDS patients. The percentage of patients seropositive for all five antigens tested was increased in the AIDS group. These results indicate that the greatest antibody prevalence was obtained using viral envelope antigen and further suggest that screening with the newly identified 3'orf, sor, and tat-III proteins as antigens would confer no further diagnostic advantage. The pattern of natural antibodies observed during disease progression did not suggest any pathogenetic mechanism.

Spectrum of Natural Antibodies Against Five HTLV-III Antigens in Infected Individuals: Correlation of Antibody Prevalence With Clinical Status

Abstract The genome of the HTLV-III/LAV retrovirus, the etiologic agent of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), encodes the viral structural proteins (envelope and core proteins), the reverse transcriptase, a transactivation protein (tat-III), as well as two other proteins (3′orf, sor) of unknown function. We studied the prevalence of natural antibodies against envelope, gag, 3′orf, sor, and tat-III in the sera of HTLV-III infected individuals in an attempt to correlate clinical status with seropositivity to specific HTLV-III antigens. We selected 101 sera; 16 were obtained from normal donors with no known risk factors, and 85 were from patients with full-fledged AIDS (28 cases), AIDS-related complex (ARC, 22 cases), and healthy people at risk (homosexuals, intravenous [IV] drug users, relatives of AIDS patients; 35 cases). Seropositivity for antibodies against the envelope (gp41) and gag antigens (p15, p24) was determined by Western blot using disrupted HTLV-III virions. Of the 101 sera, all 16 from nonrisk donors and 3/35 from healthy at-risk donors were negative for antibodies against either the gp41 or p15 and p24. The remaining 82 sera were seropositive for either the gp41 and/or the p15 and p24. All sera were then tested against the three known HTLV-III antigens (3′orf, sor, and tat-III) that have been synthesized in bacteria. Our data indicate that all the HTLV-III antigens tested are immunogenic in vivo. No significant difference in antibody prevalence to gp41 (close to 100%) and to the 3′orf, sor, and tat-III proteins (approximately 50%) was observed with regard to stage of the disease. In contrast, the prevalence of antibodies against the core antigens decreased from approximately 100% in infected people with no clinical signs of disease to 50% in ARC and AIDS patients. The percentage of patients seropositive for all five antigens tested was increased in the AIDS group. These results indicate that the greatest antibody prevalence was obtained using viral envelope antigen and further suggest that screening with the newly identified 3′orf, sor, and tat-III proteins as antigens would confer no further diagnostic advantage. The pattern of natural antibodies observed during disease progression did not suggest any pathogenetic mechanism.

Nonrandom association of cellular antigens with HTLV-III virions

Retriviruses are known to incorporate cellular antigens as they bud from infected cells. To identify the cellular antigens that associate with the AIDS-retrovirus, we evaluated a preparation of HTLV-III antigens with a panel of monoclonal antibodies reactive with a variety of antigens expressed on the H9 T-cell line used to produce the virus. Only monoclonal antibodies that identified HLA class-II antigens, beta-2 microglobulin, and a single anti-HLA class-I antibody were reactive in an ELISA of solubilized HTLV-III virus. No reactivity was seen with 11 monoclonal antibodies to T-cell antigens or with five antibodies to determinants on HLA class-1 A or B molecules. These data suggest that on H9 cells the association of budding HTLV-III virions with cellular antigens may be a nonrandom process in which some HLA antigens, particularly class-II antigens, are selectively incorporated into the viral envelope. It is possible that a selective association of HLA class II antigens with budding HTLV-III virions may also occur for T cells infected in vivo, and could have relevance for the pathogenesis of this virus.

Evidence for HTLV-III/LAV expression by primary cultures of T8 cells.

The selective targets for HTLV-III/LAV, the causal infectious agent of AIDS and AIDS-related complex (ARC), are T4 cells, apparently because the virus receptor is associated with T4 antigen determinants. This accounts for T4 cell depletion in AIDS and for a decrease of IL-2 production by AIDS peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) after in vitro PHA activation. By contrast, T8 cells are not targets for HTLV-III/LAV, since T8 cells from PBL and from long-term cultured T cells (CTC) could not be infected by the virus. We describe 2 samples of PBL from Zairian patients with HTLV-III infection in which HTLV-III was expressed by T8 cells. Evidence that T8 cells were expressing virus was obtained by complement cytotoxicity experiments performed in the presence of OKT8 monoclonal antibody (MAb), which removed HTLV-III-positive cells from cultured T cells producing the virus, and by double labelling experiments, in which some cells exhibit both T8 antigens detected either by IFA (rhodamine) or by rosetting in presence of OKT8 MAbs and HTLV-III antigens detected by IFA (fluorescein) with of anti-HTLV-III p24 and p15 MAbs. Since normal T cells have previously been shown to undergo antigenic diversity, we think these results can be explained by HTLV-III infection of T4 cells which later lost T4 antigens and acquired the T8 phenotype.

Effect of HTLV-III on the macromolecular synthesis in HTLV-I carrying cell line, MT-4.

Upon infection of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I)-carrying human T-cell lines such as MT-4, HTLV-III, a probable etiologic agent of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) caused fast and strong cytopathic effects leading ultimately to the death of the cells. Such effects were preceded by the rapid induction of HTLV-III antigens. Cell lines not infected with HTLV-I could, however, be subcultured after infection with HTLV-III, although they were also positive for HTLV-III antigens. To understand this cytopathogenicity of HTLV-III in HTLV-I bearing cells, macromolecular synthesis, including DNA synthesis and total protein synthesis, and also IL-2 receptor expression were investigated kinetically. In infected MT-4 cells DNA synthesis was markedly inhibited by HTLV-III after the HTLV-III antigen synthesis became evident. This inhibition occurred before cell damage was detected in terms of viable cell-growth, but after induction of HTLV-III antigen. Puromycin, at 40 micrograms/ml, caused no toxic changes in MT-4 cells over 3 days but prevented viral antigen synthesis and virus-induced cytopathic effect. Protein synthesis and IL-2 receptor expression were also inhibited at 4 and 5 days post infection. The degree of the effects and their kinetics suggest that they are the secondary effects of cytotoxicity by HTLV-III infection.

Three novel genes of human T-lymphotropic virus type III: immune reactivity of their products with sera from acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type III or lymphoadenopathy associated virus (HTLV-III/LAV) is the cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In addition to the conventional retroviral genes involved in virus replication, namely, gag, pol, and env genes, DNA sequence analysis of HTLV-III genome predicted two additional open reading frames termed by us short open reading frame (sor) and 3' open reading frame (3' orf). Furthermore, functional analysis revealed another gene with transactivating function, termed tat. We have now structurally identified and functionally characterized these HTLV-III specific genes by way of cDNA cloning. DNA sequence analysis of the clones shows that the tat and 3' orf genes contain three exons and their transcription into functional mRNA involves two splicing events and that the sor gene contains at least two exons. In vitro transcription and translation of the cloned spliced sequences show that the sor, tat, and 3' orf genes code for polypeptides with apparent mobility of 24-25 kDa, 14-15 kDa, and 26-28 kDa, respectively. All three polypeptides are immune reactive and are immunogenic in the natural host. The results demonstrate that the three extra open reading frames of HTLV-III, two of which are unique to HTLV-III, are in fact genes that function in vivo and further allow the identification of three new and previously unrecognized HTLV-III antigens with differential immunogenicity in individuals with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and related disorders.

HTLV-III serology in hemophilia: Relationship with immunologic abnormalities

We investigated the relationship of the presence of antibodies to HTLV-III and immunologic abnormalities in patients with hemophilia. Serum antibodies to HTLV-III were analyzed by ELISA assay, immunoprecipitation of labeled cell extracts, and immunoprecipitation of purified HTLV-III p24. Thirty-four (61%) of the total group (n = 56) had antibody to HTLV-III; 34 (76%) of 45 patients given commercial factor VIII preparations were seropositive, compared with none of 11 patients treated exclusively with cryoprecipitate obtained from volunteer blood donors. Of patients who were seropositive for HTLV-III antibody, 94% had abnormal T4/T8 ratios, and 33% of those whose serum was antibody negative had abnormal T4/T8 ratios; five patients, each antibody positive, have lymphadenopathy syndrome. Sequential studies in a subset of patients indicate that there is a changing pattern of antibody production to HTLV-III antigens after seroconversion.

Detection of HTLV-III/LAV antigens in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with AIDS.

HTLV-III was searched for in frozen sections of peripheral blood lymphocytes obtained from AIDS patients by an immunofluorescence technique. Human IgG against HTLV-III/LAV and monoclonal antibodies against HTLV-III/LAV P 24 antigen, yielded a strong cytoplasmic fluorescence in frozen sections of the lymphocytes. Some cells containing HTLV-III antigens displayed multinucleated giant forms. They also reacted with monoclonal antibodies against helper/inducer T-cells (OKT4+), as demonstrated by direct double staining immunofluorescence. Similarly, complexes of immunoglobulins and C3 component of complement were also detected on HTLV-III/LAV Ag expressing lymphocytes. Immunofluorescence study of frozen sections of peripheral blood lymphocytes appeared to be a simple, fast and reliable method for detection of HTLV-III/LAV Ag in AIDS patients.

Selective cytotoxicity of aids virus infection towards HTLV‐I‐transformed cell lines

Previously, we reported that cells of the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-transformed lines MT-2 and MT-4 were extensively killed by infection with AIDS retrovirus HTLV-III. We have investigated this phenomenon more systematically using light and electron microscopy as well as immunofluorescence. The cell lines used in the present studies included 14 of those carrying not only human HTLV-I but also related simian agents and 6 HTLV-I-negative T- and B-cell lines. The results showed that the cytocidal effects occurred in the HTLV-I-transformed cell lines exclusively and were not present in further subcultures. In these cell lines the cytotoxic response was closely correlated with the induction of HTLV-III antigens after virus infection. However, cells of 6 HTLV-I-free lines were not killed to a marked extent by HTLV-III and were passaged as continuous producers of AIDS virus. Only 2 cell lines were resistant to the cytocidal effect of HTLV-III among 14 HTLV-I carrying cell lines. They were also resistant to the replication of infected HTLV-III. This AIDS virus-specific cytotoxic effect observed in HTLV-I-transformed cell lines did not appear to be associated with gene expression of the gag and pXs region of HTLV-I genomes. This result may indicate that HTLV-III specifically interferes with some steps of HTLV-I transformation.

TYPE‐I AND TYPE‐III HTLV ANTIBODIES IN HOSPITALIZED AND OUT‐PATIENT ZAIRIANS

Sera from 182 Zairians (99 females and 83 males), aged 5 to 71 years, including maternity and child care consultants, out-patients suffering from minor injuries and patients hospitalized for tuberculosis, malaria or trauma, were analyzed for specific antibodies to HTLV-I and HTLV-III. Following pre-screening by the ELISA technique, reactive sera were further analyzed for specificity to HTLV-I or HTLV-III antigens by competition and/or Western blotting experiments. African sera, possibly because they have higher immunoglobulin levels than US and European sera, are highly reactive in ELISA systems and confirmatory assays are essential to rule out false-positive results. Confirmed antibody prevalence for HTLV-I was 13.2% (II females and 13 males) and increased with age, suggesting continuous exposure to the virus throughout life. Confirmed antibody prevalence for HTLV-III was 6.0% (8 females and 3 males) and showed a peak age range between 21 and 40 years, suggesting heterosexual transmission. Individuals positive for HTLV-I antibodies were not the same as individuals positive for HTLV-III antibodies, suggesting that infection with one virus did not increase susceptibility to infection by the other virus. Further investigations of the epidemiology and of the immunovirology of HTLV-III in Zaire, in relation to acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated pathologies, should enlighten the question of the significant percentage of HTLV-III-infected individuals who do not manifest symptoms of AIDS.

Infection of HTLV-III/LAV in HTLV-I-carrying cells MT-2 and MT-4 and application in a plaque assay.

The human T-cell lines MT-2 and MT-4 carry the human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I). When MT-2 and MT-4 were infected with HTLV-III, the probable etiologic agent of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), rapid cytopathogenic effects and cytotoxicity were observed that made it possible to titrate the biologically active virus in a plaque-forming assay. The cytopathogenic effects were preceded by the rapid induction and increase of HTLV-III antigens as revealed by immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation. Activities of HTLV-III were neutralized by the human antibodies against the virus when immunofluorescence and plaque assays were used. Essentially the same results were obtained with the lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV1).