Figure 1. Cardiac epitope mapping.

(A) Heatmaps depicting the number of specific T cell responses to defined antigens of interest. Splenocytes purified from MI or sham-operated mice (day 7) were cultured in the presence of peptide pools (15 mers, MHC-II–restricted) covering the most important heart-enriched proteins, and the production of IL-2 and IFN-γ was monitored by ELISPOT as a readout for antigen-specific stimulation. The single peptides MYHCA_614–628 (included in the MYHCA pool) and OVA_323–339 (irrelevant antigen, not expressed in the heart) were also tested. (B and C) Quantification of IL-2–producing cells per well in response to (B) the MYHCA peptide pool and (C) MYHCA_614–628. (D and E) Representative ELISPOT images of these antigens. The number of responder cells found in each well is shown directly next to the representative images. The bar graphs display the group mean values, the SEM, and the distribution of each individual value. Statistical analysis was determined with a 2-tailed, unpaired t test (B and C). *P < 0.05. The data were acquired from 3 independent experiments.