Random expression of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) p17 (epitopes) on the surface of the HIV-1-infected cell.

Twenty monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were obtained by immunizing Balb/c mice with recombinant p17 (rp17) of HIV-1. Epitope specificity of each MAb was determined using six peptides that cover the entire region of p17. We found that each MAb reacts with only one of the peptides, residues 12-29, 30-52, 53-87, and 87-115 (P12-29, P30-52, P53-87, P87-115) of p17 with the exception of one MAb. Three kinds of MAbs that recognize P30-52, P87-115, and a conformational epitope, suppressed the infectivity of HIV-1 (JMH-1) when they added in the culture of MT-4 cells infected by HIV-1 within 24 h of the infection.