HIV-1 GP120-SPECIFIC ANTIBODY-DEPENDENT CELL-MEDIATED CYTOTOXICITY CORRELATES WITH RATE OF DISEASE PROGRESSION

The Ah-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity of anti-gp 120 Abs in serum from four groups of HIV-1-positive individuals in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study was evaluated at several time points ov er a 10-yr period. HIV-1-positive individuals who progressed to AIDS w ithin 3 yr of seroconversion (rapid progressors) were compared with se roconverters who did not progress to AIDS within 6 yr (nonrapid progre ssors) and individuals who were seropositive when they entered the stu dy and did not progress to AIDS within 9-10 yr (nonprogressors). At th e visit closest to AIDS, rapid progressors bad significantly lower tit ers of Abs that mediate ADCC against HIV-1 gp120 than those of nonrapi d progressors at corresponding visits or those of nonprogressors at an y visit. Nonprogressors generally had high titers of ADCC Abs at all v isits. Differences between ADCC titers of rapid progressors and nonrap id progressors or nonprogressors remained when longitudinal changes wi thin individuals were compared. Among seroconverters who were nonrapid progressors, those with low or declining ADCC titers lost significant ly more CD4+ cells during the study than those whose ADCC titers were stable or increasing, even though both groups had similar serum vision RNA levels. This demonstrates that high titers of Abs that mediate AD CC correlate with a successful host defense against AIDS.