SUMMARY Broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV are much sought-after (a) to guide vaccine design, both as templates and to inform on the authenticity of vaccine candidates, (b) to assist in structural studies and (c) as potential therapeutics. However, the number of targets on the viral envelope spike for such antibodies is limited. Here, we describe a set of human monoclonal antibodies that define a previously undefined target on HIV Env. The antibodies recognize a glycan-dependent epitope on the prefusion conformation of gp41 and unambiguously distinguish cleaved from uncleaved Env trimers, an important property given increasing evidence that cleavage is required for vaccine candidates that seek to mimic the functional HIV envelope spike. The availability of this set of antibodies expands the number of vaccine targets on HIV and provides reagents to characterize the native envelope spike.

Significance HIV-1 viral protein U (Vpu) facilitates virus release from infected cells by down-regulating and degrading tetherin, a transmembrane protein upregulated by IFN that impedes the detachment of enveloped viruses from infected cells. Here we show that this activity of Vpu protects HIV-infected cells from antibodies that are capable of directing their elimination by antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. A direct implication of these observations is that tetherin serves as a link between innate and adaptive immunity to enhance the susceptibility of virus-infected cells to antibodies. Thus, the antiviral activity of tetherin may be much greater than previously appreciated based on its ability to inhibit virus release in cell culture assays.

SummaryPassive administration of HIV neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) can protect macaques from hard-to-neutralize (tier 2) chimeric simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) challenge. However, conditions for nAb-mediated protection after vaccination have not been established. Here, we selected groups of 6 rhesus macaques with either high or low serum nAb titers from a total of 78 animals immunized with recombinant native-like (SOSIP) Env trimers. Repeat intrarectal challenge with homologous tier 2 SHIVBG505 led to rapid infection in unimmunized and low-titer animals. High-titer animals, however, demonstrated protection that was gradually lost as nAb titers waned over time. An autologous serum ID50 nAb titer of ∼1:500 afforded more than 90% protection from medium-dose SHIV infection. In contrast, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and T cell activity did not correlate with protection. Therefore, Env protein-based vaccination strategies can protect against hard-to-neutralize SHIV challenge in rhesus macaques by inducing tier 2 nAbs, provided appropriate neutralizing titers can be reached and maintained.

Although antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein have been studied extensively for their ability to block viral infectivity, little data are currently available on nonneutralizing functions of these antibodies, such as their ability to eliminate virus-infected cells by antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). HIV-1 Env-specific antibodies of diverse specificities, including potent broadly neutralizing and nonneutralizing antibodies, were therefore tested for ADCC against cells infected with a lab-adapted HIV-1 isolate (HIV-1 NL4-3 ), a primary HIV-1 isolate (HIV-1 JR-FL ), and a simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) adapted for pathogenic infection of rhesus macaques (SHIV AD8-EO ). In accordance with the sensitivity of these viruses to neutralization, HIV-1 NL4-3 -infected cells were considerably more sensitive to ADCC, both in terms of the number of antibodies and magnitude of responses, than cells infected with HIV-1 JR-FL or SHIV AD8-EO . ADCC activity generally correlated with antibody binding to Env on the surfaces of virus-infected cells and with viral neutralization; however, neutralization was not always predictive of ADCC, as instances of ADCC in the absence of detectable neutralization, and vice versa, were observed. These results reveal incomplete overlap in the specificities of antibodies that mediate these antiviral activities and provide insights into the relationship between ADCC and neutralization important for the development of antibody-based vaccines and therapies for combating HIV-1 infection. IMPORTANCEThis study provides fundamental insights into the relationship between antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and virus neutralization that may help to guide the development of antibody-based vaccines and immunotherapies for the prevention and treatment of HIV-1 infection.