A DOMINANT EPITOPE OF HIV-1 PROTEASE RECOGNIZED BY HAMSTER MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES

Citation
Da. Croix et al., A DOMINANT EPITOPE OF HIV-1 PROTEASE RECOGNIZED BY HAMSTER MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES, Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes, 6(6), 1993, pp. 558-566
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Immunology,"Infectious Diseases
ISSN journal
08949255
Volume
6
Issue
6
Year of publication
1993
Pages
558 - 566
Database
ISI
SICI code
0894-9255(1993)6:6<558:ADEOHP>2.0.ZU;2-H
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against HIV-1 protease (HIV PR), the esse ntial protease of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), were pr oduced in Armenian hamsters. Studies of direct binding to synthetic pe ptides and inhibition of binding to intact protease by peptide competi tion showed that five mAbs recognized an epitope that includes the seq uence LPGRWKPK (residues 38-45), which lies near the region of the pro tease called the flap. All of the mAbs react specifically with HIV PR in Western blots. Because of structural conservation of the epitope in the proteases of many HIV-1 isolates, mAbs to this epitope are likely to be useful for detection of HIV PR in field isolates of HIV-1. Also , mAbs specific for this epitope, which lies close to the flap of HIV PR, may be useful for functional studies of HIV PR and possibly for th e design of inhibitors of protease activity that bind outside the enzy me's catalytic site.