title: A simian immunodeficiency virus envelope V3 cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitope in rhesus monkeys and its restricting major histocompatibility complex class I molecule Mamu-A*02.
abstract: The use of the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) macaque model for assessing human immunodeficiency virus vaccine strategies will be facilitated by the characterization of predominant SIV cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes and their restricting major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules in macaque species. We now define a rhesus monkey SIVmac CTL epitope in the third hypervariable region of the envelope glycoprotein of the virus. This epitope, YNLTMKCR, contains the first two amino acids of a cysteine-cysteine loop which is the SIVmac analog of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 V3 loop. We also employed one-dimensional isoelectric focusing to characterize the MHC class I molecule of the rhesus monkey that binds this SIVmac envelope peptide fragment. Cloning and sequencing the cDNA encoding this rhesus monkey MHC class I molecule demonstrates that it is a newly described HLA-A homolog, Mamu-A*02. This viral CTL epitope and its restricting MHC class I molecule will facilitate the use of the SIVmac rhesus monkey model for studies of envelope-based vaccine strategies and for exploring AIDS immunopathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02215.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: McAdam
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Boyson
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Piekarczyk
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yasutomi
authors.forename: D I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Letvin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003545:Cysteine; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000737:chemistry; D015236:HLA-C Antigens / Q000737:chemistry; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology*; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014162:Transfection; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D000939:Epitopes; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D015236:HLA-C Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; C089390:Mamu-A 02 antigen; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D003545:Cysteine