Increased association of glycoprotein 120-CD4 with HIV type 1 coreceptors in the presence of complex-enhanced anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies

CD4-specific monoclonal antibodies (CG1, CG7, and CG8), which bind with a 5- to 10-fold higher avidity to preformed CD4-gp120 complexes than to CD4, were previously shown to recognize newly identified conformational epitopes in the D1-CDR3 region of CD4. In the current study, these and other complex- enhanced MAbs were tested in three separate assays of HIV-1 coreceptor (CXCR4/CCR5) recruitment. In these assays, the CD4-specific MAbs CG1, -7, and -8 stabilized the association of coreceptor, gp120, and CD4 in trimolecular complexes. In contrast, the gp120-specific, complex-enhanced MAbs 48d and 17b were inhibitory. These data suggest that conformational changes in the CDR3 region of CD4-D1, induced by gp120 binding, may be involved in coreceptor association and thus play a positive role in the HIV-1 cell fusion process.