Association Between the Presence of CCR5-specific Antibodies and Long Term Non Progression

Most transmitted HIV-1 strains use CCR5 as coreceptor. Antibodies (Abs) to CCR5 have been detected in highly exposed to HIV-1 but uninfected subjects, thus they could be involved in HIV protection. To assess whether these Abs may also contribute to slow HIV-disease progression, we searched for anti-CCR5 Abs in 499 subjects, including 87 Long Term Non Progressors (LTNP), 70 Progressors, 135 HIV+ HAART treated, and 207 seronegative donors. We found anti-CCR5 Abs in a fraction of LTNP (22.9%), but not in the other populations studied (p < 0.0001). These Abs efficiently prevent infection of HIV-R5 strains representing subtypes B, C and A by inducing a stable and long last down regulation of CCR5 on surface of T lymphocytes. Follow-up studies showed that the loss of anti-CCR5 Abs, occurred in some subjects, was significantly associated with a progression toward disease. Thus, the anti-CCR5 Abs could be relevant to vaccine design and therapeutics.