B cell clonal lineage alterations upon recombinant HIV-1 envelope immunization of rhesus macaques.

Broadly neutralizing HIV-1 antibodies (bNAbs) isolated from infected subjects display protective potential in animal models. Their elicitation by immunization is thus highly desirable. The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) is the sole viral target of bnAbs, but is also targeted by binding, non-neutralizing antibodies.

Differences in Allelic Frequency and CDRH3 Region Limit the Engagement of HIV Env Immunogens by Putative VRC01 Neutralizing Antibody Precursors.

Elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibodies remains a long-standing goal of HIV vaccine research. Although such antibodies can arise during HIV-1 infection, gaps in our knowledge of their germline, pre-immune precursor forms, as well as on their interaction with viral Env, limit our ability to elicit them through vaccination. Studies of broadly neutralizing antibodies from the VRC01-class provide insight into progenitor B cell receptors (BCRs) that could develop into this class of antibodies.

Repertoire comparison of the B-cell receptor-encoding loci in humans and rhesus macaques by next-generation sequencing.

Rhesus macaques (RMs) are a widely used model system for the study of vaccines, infectious diseases and microbial pathogenesis. Their value as a model lies in their close evolutionary relationship to humans, which, in theory, allows them to serve as a close approximation of the human immune system. However, despite their prominence as a human surrogate model system, many aspects of the RM immune system remain ill characterized.