Exact prediction of a natural T cell epitope.
T lymphocytes recognize their antigen as peptides associated with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. Peptides naturally presented by MHC class I molecules are uniform in length and have a specific motif, both defined by the respective MHC allele (Falk, K. et al. Nature 1991. 351:290). These allele-specific motifs should allow exact prediction of natural T cell epitopes. H-2Kb-restricted epitopes, for example, have a length of eight amino acid residues and conserved anchor residues at positions 5 and 8. According to this information, we predicted the natural Kb-restricted epitope of ovalbumin, thought to be contained in the 19-mer IINFEKLTEWTSSNVMEER, to be SIINFEKL. Here we show that this prediction is correct. Thus, exact prediction of natural T cell epitopes is possible.
Rötzschke
O
O
Max-Planck-Institut für Biologie, Abteilung Immunogenetik, Tübingen, FRG.
Falk
K
K
Stevanović
S
S
Jung
G
G
Walden
P
P
Rammensee
H G
HG
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D000939:Epitopes; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
D000941:Antigens; D000939:Epitopes; D006183:H-2 Antigens; D010455:Peptides; D010047:Ovalbumin