Ks. Cole et al., Maturation of envelope-specific antibody responses to linear determinants in monkeys inoculated with attenuated SIV, J MED PRIM, 29(3-4), 2000, pp. 220-230
We have previously used a panel of quantitative and qualitative serological
assays to define a lengthy and complex maturation of envelope-specific ant
ibody responses in monkeys experimentally infected with attenuated simian i
mmunodeficiency virus (SIV) that is closely associated with the temporal de
velopment of enduring and protective immunity to experimental virus challen
ge. To elucidate in more detail the changes in antibody specificity associa
ted with this maturation, we describe here 'domain-specific' serological st
udies to characterize the evolution of antibody responses to defined linear
determinants of the SIV envelope protein. The results of these studies rev
eal for the first time distinguishing differences in the evolution of antib
ody populations to distinct envelope peptide segments, as determined by mea
surements of antibody titer and avidity, indicating different patterns of a
ntibody maturation to distinct linear envelope antigenic determinants. Thus
, these data demonstrate the potential for domain-specific serology to prod
uce a high-resolution characterization of SIV-specific antibody responses t
hat can be used to evaluate experimental vaccine responses and to identify
potential immune correlates of protection.