title: T cell responses to peptides covering the gag p24 region of HIV-1 occur in HIV-1 seronegative individuals.
abstract: We demonstrate that peptides (16 amino acids long) covering the sequence of the HIV-1 core protein p24 induce significant proliferation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of several (greater than 50%) healthy seronegative volunteers as well as seronegative homosexual men. The nature of this response was characterized and compared with those of HIV-infected patients. Several peptides induced responses; however, the most frequent responses in both seropositive and seronegative individuals were noted to the following peptides: 1 and 2 (aa 133-157); 6 and 7 (aa 183-207); 15 (aa 273-287); and 17 and 18 (aa 293-317). The response pattern was related to the disease stage of the patients; seronegative individuals as well as asymptomatic seropositive individuals (CDC II/III) responded to low concentrations of several peptides, but symptomatic patients (CDC IV) only responded to high concentrations of a few peptides. Cell separation studies of PBMC from healthy volunteers showed that the responding cells were CD4+ and expressed the CD45RO differentiation antigen. Furthermore, cord-blood mononuclear cells with less than 5% of CD45RO T cells did not proliferative to any of the peptides. Finally, CD4+ T cell lines specific for both peptides and p24 protein were successfully established from the PBMC of seronegative individuals confirming the data obtained with freshly isolated cells. These studies therefore suggest that the CD4+ cell response to p24 is not strictly disease related, instead, the response may be due to priming of the host with cross-reactive antigens.
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Genito-Urinary Medicine, University College London, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vyakarnam
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Matear
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cranenburg
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Michie
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Beverley
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wahren
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Weller
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D000939:Epitopes; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D006649:Histocompatibility Antigens; D010455:Peptides; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens