Detection of binding antibodies to native and recombinant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 envelope glycoproteins following recombinant gp160 immunization measured by flow cytometry and enzyme immunoassays. The AIDS Vaccine Clinical Trials Network.

The ability of antibody induced by vaccination with recombinant gp160 (rgp160) to bind to native and recombinant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoproteins was measured. Thirty-three HIV-1-seronegative healthy adult volunteers were injected four times with 40 or 80 micrograms of an HIV-1LAV envelope glycoprotein candidate vaccine per dose. The vaccine consisted of rgp160 produced in insect tissue culture cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus which contains the gp160 gene from the HIV-1LAV strain. By using a flow cytometric indirect immunofluorescence assay (FIFA) to detect vaccine-induced antibody to native envelope glycoprotein expressed by target cells infected with HIV-1IIIB, sera from 9 of the 33 vaccinees were positive. These included sera from eight vaccinees which stained HIV-1IIIB-infected cells and sera from two vaccinees which stained target cells infected with HIV-1MN, a heterologous virus strain. None of the sera stained cells infected with the HIV-1RF strain. Envelope glycoprotein-binding antibody was more frequently detectable in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by using rgp160 compared with that which was detectable in the FIFA with uninfected target cells which were pulsed with rgp160 antigen. Positive correlations were observed between the rgp160 FIFA and a whole-virus-lysate enzyme immunoassay, between the rgp160 FIFA and the rgp160 ELISA, and between the rgp160 ELISA and the whole-virus-lysate enzyme immunoassay. The ability of sera from some volunteers who received rgp160 vaccine to bind to HIV-1-infected cells suggests that further studies with this vaccine should be done.