Generation of human anti-HIV-1 ENV monoclonal antibodies with neutralizing activity from humanized mice infected with HIV-1

1. A method of producing human antibodies or antibody fragments thereof comprising the steps of:

a) administering a virus or virus-like particle to a non-human mammal comprising heterologous human immune cells, wherein the virus or virus-like particle comprises a nucleotide sequence encoding an HIV-1 env gene as set forth in SEQ ID NO:15, and wherein the non-human mammal is a transgenic mouse that lacks mature lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells and comprises one or more engrafted human tissues selected from the group consisting of human fetal thymus tissue, human fetal liver tissue, and human CD34+ fetal liver cells; and

b) isolating a population of mammalian immunoglobulin-producing cells from the non-human mammal, thereby producing the human antibodies or antibody fragments thereof, wherein the human antibodies are anti-HIV-1 antibodies.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:

c) reverse transcribing VH and VL mRNA of the cell population into a pooled population of VH and VL cDNA sequences;

d) cloning the pooled population of DNA fragments into expression vectors; and

e) expressing the cloned DNA fragments, thereby producing the antibodies or fragments thereof;

or

c) fusing the immunoglobulin-producing cells with myeloma cells to form parental hybridoma cells; and

d) culturing the hybridoma cells, thereby producing the antibodies or antibody fragments thereof;

or c) fusing the immunoglobulin-producing cells with myeloma cells to form a population of parental hybridoma cells;

d) culturing the population of hybridoma cells;

e) reverse transcribing VH and VL mRNA of the cell population into a pooled population of VH and VL cDNA sequences;

f) cloning the pooled population of DNA fragments into expression vectors and amplifying the cloned expression vectors;

g) selecting a subpopulation of expression vectors which encodes antibodies or antibody fragments directed against a virus or virus-like particle encoded protein; and

h) and amplifying the subpopulation selected, thereby producing the antibodies or antibody fragments thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transgenic mouse is a NOD-scid IL2Rγnull mouse strain.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the human antibodies or antibody fragments thereof are anti-HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleotide sequence further encodes a heterologous protein.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the heterologous protein is the outer surface protein A (OspA) of the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the human antibodies are against the heterologous protein.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the human antibodies are anti-OspA antibodies.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the human fetal thymus tissue and/or human fetal liver tissue is engrafted under the mouse kidney capsule.

10. The method of claim 3 , wherein the human CD34+ fetal liver cells are engrafted systemically.