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Vaccine against HIV: the human immune system recognizes key areas of HIV infection and attacks the virus
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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HIV is covered with a glycoprotein coat, which hides the virus from attacks of the immune system. A recently published study shows how neutralizing antibodies to HIV use a portion of the glycoprotein membrane to contact the virus. The binding site of antibodies is called the V1 / V2 region, and, according to scientists, is a suitable target for creating an HIV vaccine.
In addition, their study shows the detailed structure of the V1 / V2 site at the atomic level.
The study was conducted under the leadership of Peter D. Kwon, head of the vaccine research center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Some people who have been infected with HIV for several years begin to develop antibodies that can neutralize a wide range of strains of the virus. These neutralizing antibodies bind to one of the four sites on the virus, which includes a glycoprotein called amino acid residue 160. The glycoproteins are located in the form of HIV spines.
A new study shows how neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies to PG9 disarm the virus by grabbing the glycoprotein in residue 160, along with part of the second glycoprotein, with a short sequence of the amino acid residue in the V1 / V2 site of the HIV spine.
Similarly, a separate, recently published study from the Scripps Research Institute showed how different neutralizing antibodies to HIV bind to the virus through two glycoproteins and a sequence of amino acid residues. Taken together, these two studies show that, in some cases, the combination of a viral glycoprotein and an amino acid can form a binding site for neutralizing antibodies to HIV.
Recent blood test results showed that study participants who had been vaccinated and then developed antibodies to the V1 / V2 site were less likely to become infected. Although the role of these antibodies in protection against HIV is unknown, this fact underscores the importance of understanding antibodies-V1 / V2 in developing a more effective vaccine against the immunodeficiency virus.