Polysaccharide mimicry of the epitope of the broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibody, 2G12, induces enhanced antibody responses to self oligomannose glycans

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Abstract
Immunologically, “self” carbohydrates protect the HIV-1 surface glycoprotein, gp120, from antibody recognition. However, one broadly neutralizing antibody, 2G12, neutralizes primary viral isolates by direct recognition of Manα1→2Man motifs formed by the host-derived oligomannose glycans of the viral envelope. Immunogens, capable of eliciting antibodies of similar specificity to 2G12, are therefore candidates for HIV/AIDS vaccine development. In this context, it is known that the yeast mannan polysaccharides exhibit significant antigenic mimicry with the glycans of HIV-1. Here, we report that modulation of yeast polysaccharide biosynthesis directly controls the molecular specificity of cross-reactive antibodies to self oligomannose glycans. Saccharomycescerevisiae mannans are typically terminated by α1→3-linked mannoses that cap a Manα1→2Man motif that otherwise closely resembles the part of the oligomannose epitope recognized by 2G12. Immunization with S. cerevisiae deficient for the α1→3 mannosyltransferase gene (ΔMnn1), but not with wild-type S. cerevisiae, reproducibly elicited antibodies to the self oligomannose glycans. Carbohydrate microarray analysis of ΔMnn1 immune sera revealed fine carbohydrate specificity to Manα1→2Man units, closely matching that of 2G12. These specificities were further corroborated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with chemically defined glycoforms of gp120. These antibodies exhibited remarkable similarity in the carbohydrate specificity to 2G12 and displayed statistically significant, albeit extremely weak, neutralization of HIV-1 compared to control immune sera. These data confirm the Manα1→2Man motif as the primary carbohydrate neutralization determinant of HIV-1 and show that the genetic modulation of microbial polysaccharides is a route towards immunogens capable of eliciting antibody responses to the glycans of HIV-1.

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