Persons at early stages of HIV infection generally had abnormal expression levels of Ig VH3 genes and frequently displayed marked fluctuations in the relative expression levels of this VH gene subgroup over time.
It may also account for the apparent paucity of anti-gp120 antibodies expressing VH3 genes and for the polyclonal activation seen in the early stages of HIV infection.
Levels of blood B cells and serum immunoglobulins (Ig) expressing the D12 idiotope of the VH3 gene family were measured in subjects of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study grouped according to clinical stages of HIV infection.