RANDOM EXPRESSION OF HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS-1 (HIV-1) P17 (EPITOPES) ON THE SURFACE OF THE HIV-1-INFECTED CELL

Twenty monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were obtained by immunizing Balb/c mice with recombinant p17 (rp17) of HIV-1, Epitope specificity of eac h MAb was determined using six peptides that cover the entire region o f p17, We found that each MAb reacts with only one of the peptides, re sidues 12-29, 30-52, 53-87, and 87-115 (P12-29, P30-52, P53-87, P87-11 5) of p17 with the exception of one MAb, Three kinds of MAbs that reco gnize P30-52, P87-115, and a conformational epitope, suppressed the in fectivity of HIV-1 (JMH-1) when they added in the culture of MT-4 cell s infected by HIV-1 within 24 h of the infection.