The Glycan Shield of HIV Is Predominantly Oligomannose Independently of Production System or Viral Clade
Author Information
Author(s): Bonomelli Camille, Doores Katie J., Dunlop D. Cameron, Thaney Victoria, Dwek Raymond A., Burton Dennis R., Crispin Max, Scanlan Christopher N.
Primary Institution: Department of Biochemistry, Oxford Glycobiology Institute, University of Oxford
Hypothesis
The extent of cross-clade conservation of HIV oligomannose glycans is a critical consideration for the development of HIV prophylaxes.
Conclusion
The study shows that virion-associated gp120 has a higher content of oligomannose glycans compared to recombinant gp120, regardless of the production system or viral clade.
Supporting Evidence
- The oligomannose content of virion-associated gp120 was found to be 62-79% compared to 30% for recombinant gp120.
- Pseudoviral production systems resulted in gp120 oligomannose levels of approximately 98%.
- The study highlights differences in glycosylation between virion-associated and recombinant gp120.
Takeaway
HIV has special sugars on its surface that help it hide from the immune system, and these sugars are mostly the same across different types of the virus.
Methodology
The study measured the oligomannose content of gp120 from various viral isolates using mass spectrometry.
Limitations
The study did not analyze the glycosylation of all possible viral isolates, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
Human blood samples from healthy donors were used.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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