p24 Antigen is not primarily virion-associated in peripheral blood of HIV-infected individuals: a comparison with quantitation of HIV RNA.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1994. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

p24 Antigen is not primarily virion-associated in peripheral blood of HIV-infected individuals: a comparison with quantitation of HIV RNA.

Abstr Gen Meet Am Soc Microbiol. 1994;94:483 (abstract no. T-8). Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ASM94/94313083
Wilber J; Yeghiazarian T; Todd J; Urdea M; Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, CA.

Abstract: The level of p24 antigen has been used as a surrogate marker for the level of viremia in HIV-infected patients. To understand the extent to which p24 antigen (p24Ag) is associated with virions, EDTA plasma was collected from 12 HIV-infected individuals and assayed for the quantity of virion-associated HIV p24Ag and RNA. Since there are numerous published observations that free RNA is highly unstable in plasma, it was assumed that detectable HIV RNA was contained in virions. Samples were tested for HIV RNA using branched DNA signal amplification (Quantiplex HIV-RNA, Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, California) and for p24Ag using the immune complex-dissociation (ICD) modification of the p24Ag Assay (Coulter Corporation, Hialeah, Florida). Virions were separated from two 1 ml aliquots of each plasma sample by centrifugation at 23,000 g at 2-8 C for 1 hr. RNA and p24 Ag were measured in whole plasma and supernatant, and RNA was measured in reconstituted pellets. As shown in Figure 1, a mean of 85% of p24Ag remained in the supernatant after virions were pelleted. The ratio of virion-associated to free p24Ag varied from patient to patient. These results may help explain previously reported inconsistencies between infectious virus titer and p24Ag quantitation. The source of non-virion-associated p24Ag could be degraded virus or whole virus-independent production of antigen. Variation in p24Ag levels could be due to strain-dependent differences in these processes and not to changes in virus load, which may lead to problems in interpretation. TABULAR DATA, SEE ABSTRACT VOLUME.

Keywords: Gene Amplification Human HIV/*ISOLATION & PURIF/PHYSIOLOGY HIV Antigens/BLOOD HIV Core Protein p24/*BLOOD HIV Infections/*BLOOD RNA, Viral/ANALYSIS/GENETICS Virion/*ISOLATION & PURIF/PHYSIOLOGY ABSTRACT
941030
M94A0871

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