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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Conformational Evaluation of HIV-1 Trimeric Envelope Glycoproteins Using a Cell-based ELISA Assay
Published on: September 14, 2014
Sequence variation occurs in CD4 epitopes during early HIV infection
Jenna Rychert1, Suzanne Saindon, Sarah Placek
1Partners AIDS Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Objective:
To determine whether viral sequence variation occurs in HIV-specific CD4 epitopes during early HIV infection.
Methods:
Gag, Nef, and integrase (Int) sequences were obtained from the plasma of 7 subjects identified during acute HIV-1 infection. Changes in the viral sequence were determined based on comparison of sequences obtained at 2 time points during early infection. Peptide-specific CD4+ T-cell responses were measured at matched time points using interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assays to identify CD4 epitopes.
Results:
An average of 4 mutations were identified per subject. The majority of the mutations were nonsynonymous and resulted in a total of 6 amino acid changes in Gag, 7 changes in Nef, and 6 changes and a deletion in Int. Half of the sequence changes were within recognized CD4 epitopes. Mutations within CD4 epitopes were coincident with changes in the peptide-specific CD4 response.
Conclusion:
These data indicate that sequence variation occurs within recognized CD4 epitopes during early HIV infection. Furthermore, it suggests that mutations within HIV-specific CD4 epitopes may affect T helper cell function.
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