Science. 2021 Jan 08; 371(6525):NA.

PubMed ID: 33214287

Recapitulation of HIV-1 env-antibody coevolution in macaques leading to neutralization breadth

Roark RS, Li H, Williams WB, Chug H, Mason RD, Gorman J, Wang S, Lee FH, Rando J, Bonsignori M, Hwang KK, Saunders KO, Wiehe K, Moody MA, Hraber PT, Wagh K, Giorgi EE, Russell RM, Bibollet-Ruche F, Liu W, Connell J, Smith AG, DeVoto J, Murphy AI, Smith J, Ding W, Zhao C, Chohan N, Okumura M, Rosario C, Ding Y, Lindemuth E, Bauer AM, Bar KJ, Ambrozak D, Chao CW, Chuang GY, Geng H, Lin BC, Louder MK, Nguyen R, Zhang B, Lewis MG, Raymond DD, Doria-Rose NA, Schramm CA, Douek DC, Roederer M, Kepler TB, Kelsoe G, Mascola JR, Kwong PD, Korber BT, Harrison SC, Haynes BF, Hahn BH, Shaw GM

Neutralizing antibodies elicited by HIV-1 coevolve with viral envelope proteins (Env) in distinctive patterns, in some cases acquiring substantial breadth. We report that primary HIV-1 envelope proteins-when expressed by simian-human immunodeficiency viruses in rhesus macaques-elicited patterns of Env-antibody coevolution very similar to those in humans, including conserved immunogenetic, structural, and chemical solutions to epitope recognition and precise Env-amino acid substitutions, insertions, and deletions leading to virus persistence. The structure of one rhesus antibody, capable of neutralizing 49% of a 208-strain panel, revealed a V2 apex mode of recognition like that of human broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) PGT145 and PCT64-35S. Another rhesus antibody bound the CD4 binding site by CD4 mimicry, mirroring human bNAbs 8ANC131, CH235, and VRC01. Virus-antibody coevolution in macaques can thus recapitulate developmental features of human bNAbs, thereby guiding HIV-1 immunogen design.