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. 1989 Oct;63(10):4303–4310. doi: 10.1128/jvi.63.10.4303-4310.1989

Molecular analyses of a five-amino-acid cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitope: an immunodominant region which induces nonreciprocal CTL cross-reactivity.

J L Whitton 1, A Tishon 1, H Lewicki 1, J Gebhard 1, T Cook 1, M Salvato 1, E Joly 1, M B Oldstone 1
PMCID: PMC251046  PMID: 2476570

Abstract

The cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection determines the outcome of infection. Here we show that this response in BALB/c mice (H-2d), when analyzed both at the primary CTL level and using CTL clones, is predominantly monospecific. The vast majority of CTL have a common specificity for a single epitope in the virus nucleoprotein, which can be minimally identified by amino acids GVYMG. This epitope is presented by the Ld class I glycoprotein. We used these data to design a subunit CTL vaccine, whose effectiveness is demonstrated in the accompanying report (L. S. Klavinskis, J. L. Whitton, and M. B. A. Oldstone, J. Virol. 63:4311-4316, 1989). Further analysis indicates that, while CTL clones share a common minimal epitope, they differ in their ability to recognize cells infected with a related but distinct strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Studies on the molecular nature of CTL cross-reactivity indicate that CTL induced by similar sequences may cross-react in a unidirectional manner. These novel observations suggest that CTL vaccines, to achieve optimal effectiveness, should not simply include virus sequences which will yield a CTL response; the immunizing sequences should also be selected to ensure that the fine specificities of the induced CTL are such that they maximize the chance of recognizing serotypically diverse strains.

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Selected References

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