SIV ENVELOPE GLYCOPROTEIN EPITOPES RECOGNIZED BY ANTIBODIES FROM INFECTED OR VACCINATED RHESUS MACAQUES

We analyzed SIV-specific monkey sera to localize B-cell epitopes of th e envelope glycoprotein of SIV (gp130), using overlapping synthetic pe ptides representing the entire SIV gp130 protein and sera from experim entally infected monkeys and monkeys immunized with whole, inactivated SIV. A B-cell epitope which induces neutralizing antibody production and T-cell responses was characterized as well as a new B-cell epitope and a previously described neutralizing epitopes. Vaccinated monkey s era recognize the three epitopes differentially relative to unimmunize d controls, and a correlation appears to exist between degree of cross -neutralization by infected monkey sera and degree of binding to these three regions.