24 Short title: Glycosylation and antigenicity of gp145 uncleaved trimers 25 26 2 27 Abstract 28The envelope glycoprotein (Env) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has been the 29 primary target for the development of a protective vaccine against infection. The extensive N-linked 30 glycosylation on Env is an important consideration as it may affect efficacy, stability, and expression 31 yields. The expression host has been shown to influence the extent and type of glycosylation that 32 decorates the protein target. Here, we report the glycosylation profile of the candidate subtype C 33 immunogen CO6980v0c22 gp145 produced in two different host cells: CHO-K1 and Expi293F. The 34 amino acid sequence for both glycoproteins was confirmed to be identical by peptide mass 35 fingerprinting. However, the isoelectric point of the proteins differed; 4.5-5.5 and 6.0-7.0 for gp145 36 produced in CHO-K1 and Expi293F, respectively. These differences in pI were eliminated by 37 enzymatic treatment with sialidase, indicating a large difference in the incorporation of sialic acid 38 between hosts. This dramatic difference in the number of sialylated glycans between hosts was 39 confirmed by analysis of PNGase F-released glycans using MALDI-ToF MS. These differences in 40 glycosylation, however, did not greatly translate into differences in antibody recognition. Biosensor 41 assays showed that gp145 produced in CHO-K1 had similar affinity toward the broadly neutralizing 42 antibodies, 2G12 and PG16, as the gp145 produced in Expi293F. Additionally, both immunogens 43 showed the same reactivity against plasma of HIV-infected patients. Taken together, these results 44 support the notion that there are sizeable differences in the glycosylation of Env depending on the 45 expression host. How these differences translate to vaccine efficacy remains unknown. 46 47 48 49 Introduction 50 With 35 million infected individuals worldwide, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)51 remains a major global health concern. Most of the current efforts toward a protective vaccine against 52 HIV center on the envelope glycoprotein (Env), the only protein displayed on the virus surface [1-5].53 Env is a two-protein system composed of a monomeric gp120 that binds non-covalently to the 54 trimeric, membrane-spanning gp41 [6,7]. Env-based vaccines are notoriously difficult to produce 55 because of their hydrophobic membrane-proximal regions and their extensive glycosylation [8].56 Despite these production hurdles, monomeric gp120 has been produced in large amounts and has been 57 thoroughly tested in numerous vaccine trials, including the landmark RV144 vaccine trial in Thailand 58 [9][10][11].
59After the discovery of patient-derived broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), which 60 provide cross-clade protection through specific recognition of the viral Env, it was clear that the 61 monomeric gp120 did not contain all the relevant epitopes to elicit broad neutralization, and thus, 62 longer Env constructs to preserve known bNAb epitopes within the...