Differential effects of flanking residues on presentation of epitopes from chimeric peptides.
Chimeric peptides in which the optimal H-2d mouse hepatitis virus nucleocapsid (pN) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (p18) epitopes, separated by 38, 7, or 2 amino acids, were expressed from a single open reading frame by using recombinant vaccinia viruses to analyze antigen processing of proximal class I-restricted epitopes. Recognition of the carboxy-terminal Dd-restricted p18 epitope was independent of the amino-terminal flanking residues. By contrast, proximity of the carboxy-terminal epitope decreased recognition of the amino-terminal Ld-restricted pN epitope. Immunization resulted in the induction of both p18- and pN-specific antiviral cytotoxic T lymphocytes, irrespective of the number of amino acids separating the epitopes.
Bergmann
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CC
Department of Neurology, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033.
Tong
L
L
Cua
R
R
Sensintaffar
J
J
Stohlman
S
S
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology*; D004279:DNA, Viral; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
D004279:DNA, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C061169:p18 gag protein, Human immunodeficiency virus 1