title: Cross-reactive cytotoxic T lymphocytes induced by V3 loop synthetic peptides from different strains of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.
abstract: Recent efforts at understanding the immune response generated against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have focused on cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated recognition of HIV antigens. CTLs are a major immune defense mechanism and are necessary for the recovery of many viral infections. We have previously developed a method for screening synthetic peptides for the ability to induce virus-specific major histocompatibility complex-restricted CTLs in mice. Using this method, we now report the identification of peptides from the V3 region in gp120 of seven different HIV-1 strains that are capable of inducing a virus-specific CD8+ CTL response in vivo. V3 peptides from MN and SC strains of HIV-1, which are representative of typical strains found in North America and Europe, induced CTLs that exhibited cross-reactivity against a broad range of HIV-1 strains. In addition, immunization of mice with a mixture of these V3 peptides resulted in efficient CTL responses directed against the corresponding HIV-1 strains. These data, together with information in the literature describing the CTL epitope nature of V3 peptide from HIV-1 IIIB in the context of several HLA alleles, indicate the possibility of including V3 synthetic peptides as components of potential vaccines for inducing broadly cross-reactive CTL response against a diverse array of HIV-1 strains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Casement
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Nehete
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Arlinghaus
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sastry
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000276:immunology*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D015686:Gene Products, env; D015488:HIV Antigens; D010446:Peptide Fragments