Influence of glycosylation on the efficacy of an Env-based vaccine against simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239 in a macaque AIDS model.

ABSTRACT: The envelope glycoprotein (Env) of human immunodeficiency viruses (HIVs) and simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) is heavily glycosylated, and this feature has been speculated to be a reason for the insufficient immune control of these viruses by their hosts. In a macaque AIDS model, we demonstrated that quintuple deglycosylation in Env altered a pathogenic virus, SIVmac239, into a novel attenuated mutant virus (delta5G). In delta5G-infected animals, strong protective immunity against SIVmac239 was elicited. These HIV and SIV studies suggested that an understanding of the role of glycosylation is critical in defining not only the virological properties but also the immunogenicity of Env, suggesting that glycosylation in Env could be modified for the development of effective vaccines. To

SUBMITTER: Mori K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1182680 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature