Humans and rhesus macaques share maturation pathways of HIV-1 envelope-reactive V3-glycan bnAb lineages.

Abstract

Understanding broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) lineage development in rhesus macaques (RMs) infected with simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) may inform HIV-1 vaccine designs. We analyzed HIV-1 envelope (Env)-antibody coevolution in 18 RMs infected with SHIV.BG505 (subtype A) and found conserved patterns of antibody recognition and Env escape, including in three animals that developed V3-glycan-reactive bnAbs. From one RM with V3-glycan-targeted plasma Abs that neutralized heterologous HIV-1 strains, we isolated 203 members of a single clonal antibody lineage designated DH1030. DH1030 antibodies demonstrated genetic, functional, and structural similarities with the human V3-glycan bnAb lineage DH270, which was isolated from an individual with subtype C HIV-1 CH848 infection. Human-DH270 and macaque-DH1030 bnAbs shared early improbable mutations in the heavy chain complementarity determining region 2 that were critical for bnAb development. These convergent patterns of antibody evolution, accumulation of key improbable mutations, and mode of epitope recognition were shared across primate species and distinct HIV-1 subtypes, findings that may be leveraged in HIV-1 vaccine designs. Furthermore, our data highlight the value of SHIV-infected macaques as an outbred model system to explore conserved molecular pathways of bnAb development after infection and vaccination.