title: Cytotoxic T lymphocyte discrimination between type A Epstein-Barr virus transformants is mapped to an immunodominant epitope in EBNA 3.
abstract: An immunodominant Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope, represented by peptide 68, has been mapped to the EBV nuclear antigen, EBNA 3. The epitope is recognized by class I-restricted CTLs through HLA-B8 and is functionally active on type A but not type B lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs). Herein we show that peptide 68 is not expressed as a functional CTL epitope by type A LCLs infected with an EBV B95-8 isolate. CTLs from cultures stimulated with autologous type A IARC-BL74 or QIMR-WIL LCLs lysed autologous cells stimulated with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA blasts) and coated with exogenous peptide 68. No peptide 68-specific CTLs were generated in cultures stimulated with autologous type A B95-8 or type B AG876 LCLs. However, the B95-8 LCL coated with peptide 68 was effective in the induction of a peptide-specific CTL response. A peptide 68-specific CTL clone failed to lyse the B95-8 LCL, type B AG876 LCL and PHA blasts, although such targets were lysed when coated with peptide 68.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Misko
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Moss
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Burrows
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Sculley
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000276:immunology; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010449:Peptide Mapping; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens