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Fig. 2.
Lifecycle of HIV-1 virus and potential sites of immune interven-
tion. Step 1: Pre-attachment events: block the binding of virion to its recep-
tor (i.e. CD4); complement mediated lysis and aggregation of infectious
virion. Step 2: Post attachment events — involves prevention of binding to
co-receptor and prevention of virus/cell fusion. In addition, these neutraliz-
ing antibodies may also interfere in downstream events such as: (2-4) un-
coating, integration, and reverse transcription after entry; (5) processing and
assembly; and (6) maturation and budding of virus particles.
interfere with gp41 coiled-coil formation or fusion of the virus/ host
cell membrane. Some of these epitopes in context to Env trimer are
presented in Fig. 3. Another mechanism by which antibodies can
mediate protection is aggregation of virus particles, thereby reducing
the number of infectious virus particles and rendering the virus more
susceptible to phagocytosis and subsequent destruction.
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Another mechanism by which binding antibodies may exert a pro-
tective function is complement-mediated ADCC, where antibodies
