title: Definition of a minimal optimal cytotoxic T-cell epitope within the hepatitis B virus nucleocapsid protein.
abstract: Residues 11 to 27 of the hepatitis B virus nucleocapsid antigen contain a cytotoxic T-cell epitope that is recognized by cytotoxic T cells from virtually all HLA-A2-positive patients with acute hepatitis B virus infection. Using panels of truncated and overlapping peptides, we now show that the optimal amino acid sequence recognized by cytotoxic T cells is a 10-mer (residues 18 to 27) containing the predicted peptide-binding motif for HLA-A2 and that this peptide can stimulate cytotoxic T cells able to recognize endogenously synthesized hepatitis B core antigen. Since patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection fail to mount an efficient cytotoxic T-cell response to it, this epitope might serve as the starting point for the design of synthetic peptide-based immunotherapeutic strategies to terminate persistent viral infection.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra Malattie Infettive, Università di Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertoletti
authors.forename: F V
authors.initials: FV
authors.lastname: Chisari
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Penna
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guilhot
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Galati
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Missale
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schlicht
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vitiello
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Chesnut
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D000939:Epitopes; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D010455:Peptides