文章: AAV-expressed eCD4-Ig provides durable protection from multiple SHIV challenges
[size=14.782608985900879px]Long-term in vivo[size=14.782608985900879px] expression of a broad and potent entry inhibitor could circumvent the need for a conventional vaccine for HIV-1. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors can stably express HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs)[size=14.782608985900879px]. However, even the best bNAbs neutralize 10–50% of HIV-1 isolates inefficiently (80% inhibitory concentration (IC[size=12.17391300201416px]80[size=14.782608985900879px]) > 5 [size=14.782608985900879px]μ[size=14.782608985900879px]g ml−1[size=14.782608985900879px]), suggesting that high concentrations of these antibodies would be necessary to achieve general protection[size=14.782608985900879px]. Here we show that eCD4-Ig, a fusion of CD4-Ig with a small CCR5-mimetic sulfopeptide, binds avidly and cooperatively to the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) and is more potent than the best bNAbs (geometric mean half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC[size=12.17391300201416px]50[size=14.782608985900879px]) < 0.05 [size=14.782608985900879px]μ[size=14.782608985900879px]g ml−1[size=14.782608985900879px]). Because eCD4-Ig binds only conserved regions of Env, it is also much broader than any bNAb. For example, eCD4-Ig efficiently neutralized 100% of a diverse panel of neutralization-resistant HIV-1, HIV-2 and simian immunodeficiency virus isolates, including a comprehensive set of isolates resistant to the CD4-binding site bNAbs VRC01, NIH45-46 and 3BNC117. Rhesus macaques inoculated with an AAV vector stably expressed 17–77 [size=14.782608985900879px]μ[size=14.782608985900879px]g ml−1[size=14.782608985900879px] of fully functional rhesus eCD4-Ig for more than 40 weeks, and these macaques were protected from several infectious challenges with SHIV-AD8. Rhesus eCD4-Ig was also markedly less immunogenic than rhesus forms of four well-characterized bNAbs. Our data suggest that AAV-delivered eCD4-Ig can function like an effective HIV-1 vaccine.