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Potency of HIV-2-specific antibodies increase in direct association with loss of memory B cells
Cheila Rocha1, Joana Duarte, Pedro Borrego
1aHIV Evolution, Epidemiology and Prevention, Research Institute for Medicines/Instituto de Investigação do Medicamento (iMed.ULisboa), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal bInstituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon cCentro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde Egas Moniz, Almada dInstituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (IHMT, UNL), Lisbon, Portugal eDivision of Infection and Immunity, UCL Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, London, UK fServiço de Doenças Infecciosas, Faculdade de Medicina, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Clínica Universitária de Doenças Infecciosas, Hospital de Santa Maria, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
Abstract:
: Potent HIV-neutralizing antibodies are critical for vaccination and viral reservoir control. High levels of neutralizing antibodies characterize HIV-2 infection, a naturally occurring model of attenuated HIV disease with low-to-undectable viremia. We found that HIV-2-specific antibody potency increased in direct association with the loss of both switched and unswitched memory B cells in untreated HIV-2 infection. Thus, HIV antibody affinity maturation is linked to memory B-cell exhaustion even in reduced viremia settings.