ABSTRACT
It was recently shown that peptide NTM (RSANFTDNAKTIIVQLNESV), corresponding to residues 280-299 in the second conserved domain of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120, has spectral and sequence similarity with human vasoactive intestinal peptide, VIP (Veljkovic et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 189, 705-710, 1992). We found that natural autoantibodies cross-reactive with this peptide can be detected in sera from HIV-negative asthma patients and healthy blood donors. The level of these antibodies is significantly higher in asthma patients than in healthy individuals, suggesting that these antibodies can in fact be at least partly identical to natural anti-VIP antibodies previously described (Paul et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 130, 479-483, 1985; Paul et al., Science, 244, 158-1162, 1989). Possible origin and role of these antibodies in AIDS pathogenesis and therapy are discussed.