Two highly antigenic sites in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase.

Antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) are found in the serum of the majority of infected individuals, and inhibition of RT polymerase activity by HIV-1-positive sera can be demonstrated in vitro. The binding sites of human antibodies on the protein have not yet been identified. We synthesized overlapping peptides covering the entire RT protein of HIV-1 and used them in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system to map the reactivities of HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibody-positive sera. Two highly antigenic regions were identified by both HIV serotypes. One region was found in the central part of the RT protein (amino acids 261 to 280) and another was found at the carboxy terminus in the RNase H portion of RT (amino acids 517 to 536). Comparison of the serological results with the crystal structure of the RT revealed that the antigenic region in the RNase H portion is located at the surface of the protein. The other antibody-binding site (amino acids 261 to 280) was located in the "thumb" region of the polymerase domain of RT. Polyclonal antibodies to either of the antibody-binding sites do not affect the polymerase activity of the RT protein.