Rapid selection of HIV envelopes that bind to neutralizing antibody B cell lineage members with functional improbable mutations

Abstract

Elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) by an HIV vaccine will involve priming the immune system to activate antibody precursors, followed by boosting immunizations to select for antibodies with functional features required for neutralization breadth. The higher the number of acquired mutations necessary for function, the more convoluted are the antibody developmental pathways. HIV bnAbs acquire a large number of somatic mutations, but not all mutations are functionally important. Here we identified a minimal subset of mutations sufficient for the function of the naturally occurring V3-glycan bnAb DH270.6. Using antibody library screening, candidate envelope immunogens that interacted with DH270.6-like antibodies containing this set of key mutations were identified and selected in vitro. Our results demonstrate that less complex B cell evolutionary pathways than those naturally observed exist for the induction of HIV bnAbs by vaccination, and establish rational approaches to identify boosting sequential envelope candidate immunogens.