Stepwise Conformational Stabilization of a HIV-1 Clade C Consensus Envelope Trimer Immunogen Impacts the Profile of Vaccine-Induced Antibody Responses.

ABSTRACT: Stabilization of the HIV-1 Envelope glycoprotein trimer (Env) in its native pre-fusion closed conformation is regarded as one of several requirements for the induction of neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses, which, in turn, will most likely be a prerequisite for the development of an efficacious preventive vaccine. Here, we systematically analyzed how the stepwise stabilization of a clade C consensus (ConC) Env immunogen impacts biochemical and biophysical protein traits such as antigenicity, thermal stability, structural integrity, and particle size distribution. The increasing degree of conformational rigidification positively correlates with favorable protein characteristics, leading to optimized homogeneity of the protein preparations, increased thermal stability, and an overall favo

SUBMITTER: Hauser A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8310183 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature