Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity against primary HIV-infected CD4+ T cells is directly associated with the magnitude of surface IgG binding

J Virol. 2012 Aug;86(16):8672-80. doi: 10.1128/JVI.00287-12. Epub 2012 Jun 6.

Abstract

Antibody (Ab)-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) is thought to potentially play a role in vaccine-induced protection from HIV-1. The characteristics of such antibodies remain incompletely understood. Furthermore, correlates between ADCC and HIV-1 immune status are not clearly defined. We screened the sera of 20 HIV-1-positive (HIV-1(+)) patients for ADCC. Normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were used to derive HIV-infected CD4(+) T cell targets and autologous, freshly isolated, natural killer (NK) cells in a novel assay that measures granzyme B (GrB) and HIV-1-infected CD4(+) T cell elimination (ICE) by flow cytometry. We observed that complex sera mediated greater levels of ADCC than anti-HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env)-specific monoclonal antibodies and serum-mediated ADCC correlated with the amount of IgG and IgG1 bound to HIV-1-infected CD4(+) T cells. No correlation between ADCC and viral load, CD4(+) T cell count, or neutralization of HIV-1(SF162) or other primary viral isolates was detected. Sera pooled from clade B HIV-1(+) individuals exhibited breadth in killing targets infected with HIV-1 from clades A/E, B, and C. Taken together, these data suggest that the total amount of IgG bound to an HIV-1-infected cell is an important determinant of ADCC and that polyvalent antigen-specific Abs are required for a robust ADCC response. In addition, Abs elicited by a vaccine formulated with immunogens from a single clade may generate a protective ADCC response in vivo against a variety of HIV-1 species. Increased understanding of the parameters that dictate ADCC against HIV-1-infected cells will inform efforts to stimulate ADCC activity and improve its potency in vaccinees.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / blood
  • CD4 Lymphocyte Count
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / virology*
  • Cell Survival
  • Cytotoxicity, Immunologic*
  • Flow Cytometry
  • HIV Antibodies / blood
  • HIV Antibodies / immunology*
  • HIV Infections / immunology
  • HIV-1 / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology*
  • Viral Load

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • HIV Antibodies
  • Immunoglobulin G