SPEED OF PROGRESSION TO AIDS AND DEGREE OF ANTIBODY-RESPONSE TO ACCESSORY GENE-PRODUCTS OF HIV-1

Antibodies to E. coli‐produced HIV‐1 nef, rev, tat, vpu, and vpr proteins were measured by enzyme immunoassay in serial sets of sera from 72 men seroconverting for antibodies to HIV‐1 structural proteins, and from 190 initially symptom‐free men who were seropositive for these antibodies at entry into the study. In the men seroconverting for antibodies to structural proteins the levels of nef‐, rev‐, and tat‐specific antibodies, but not of vpu‐, and vpr‐specific antibodies, within 3 months of seroconversion, appeared to be lower in the five men progressing to AIDS, compared with the men remaining symptom‐free during follow‐up. Analysis of the prevalence of previously described antibody profiles to these accessory gene products was carried out. In all HIV‐1 antibody seroconverters and in those HIV‐1 antibody seropositive men with 15 or more months of follow‐up who progressed to AIDS, there was a shift from predominantly nef‐ and vpu‐specific antibody negative profiles in the men developing AIDS in the early years of the study to predominantly nef‐ and vpu‐specific antibody positive profiles in men who developed AIDS later. Rev‐ and tat‐specific antibody negative profiles were dominant in men progressing to AIDS throughout follow‐up. No vpr‐specific antibody profile occurred preferentially in the men progressing to AIDS throughout follow‐up. Low antibody reactivity to accessory gene products nef, rev, and tat appears, like low anti‐core antibody reactivity, to be associated with progression to AIDS relatively rapidly after infection with HIV‐1. Copyright © 1990 Wiley‐Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company