Vaccine induction of CD4-mimicking HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibody precursors in macaques.
Saunders, K.O., Counts, J., Thakur, B., Stalls, V., Edwards, R., Manne, K., Lu, X., Mansouri, K., Chen, Y., Parks, R., Barr, M., Sutherland, L., Bal, J., Havill, N., Chen, H., Machiele, E., Jamieson, N., Hora, B., Kopp, M., Janowska, K., Anasti, K., Jiang, C., Van Itallie, E., Venkatayogi, S., Eaton, A., Henderson, R., Barbosa, C., Alam, S.M., Santra, S., Weissman, D., Moody, M.A., Cain, D.W., Tam, Y.K., Lewis, M., Williams, W.B., Wiehe, K., Montefiori, D.C., Acharya, P., Haynes, B.F.(2024) Cell 187: 79-94.e24
- PubMed: 38181743 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.002
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
8U1D - PubMed Abstract: 
The CD4-binding site (CD4bs) is a conserved epitope on HIV-1 envelope (Env) that can be targeted by protective broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). HIV-1 vaccines have not elicited CD4bs bnAbs for many reasons, including the occlusion of CD4bs by glycans, expansion of appropriate naive B cells with immunogens, and selection of functional antibody mutations. Here, we demonstrate that immunization of macaques with a CD4bs-targeting immunogen elicits neutralizing bnAb precursors with structural and genetic features of CD4-mimicking bnAbs. Structures of the CD4bs nAb bound to HIV-1 Env demonstrated binding angles and heavy-chain interactions characteristic of all known human CD4-mimicking bnAbs. Macaque nAb were derived from variable and joining gene segments orthologous to the genes of human VH1-46-class bnAb. This vaccine study initiated in primates the B cells from which CD4bs bnAbs can derive, accomplishing the key first step in the development of an effective HIV-1 vaccine.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA. Electronic address: kevin.saunders@duke.edu.