AN EXPERIMENTAL CHEMICALLY INACTIVATED HIV-1 VACCINE INDUCES ANTIBODIES THAT NEUTRALIZE HOMOLOGOUS AND HETEROLOGOUS VIRUSES

We have developed a unique multiple step procedure to inactivate human immunodeficiency virus chemically with a very high safety margin whil e retaining antigenically, active structural virion proteins, includin g gp120, in the final immunogen. The whole virus preparation (1-10 mu g per nose) was highly immunogenic in a variety of small mammals and i nduced antibodies that recognized homologous and heterologous strains of HIV-1. Sera from immunized animals bound to peptides representing t he entire sequence of the external glycoprotein gp120. Neutralizing an tibodies active against the homologous immunizing strain and against h eterologous HIV-1 strains were also elicited. Sera with virus neutrali zing activity did not bind to MHC class I proteins derived from the hu man cell line used to grow the virus.