Characterization of MHC class I restricted cytotoxic T cell responses to tax in HTLV-1 infected patients with neurologic disease.
To understand the nature of the cytotoxic T cell response generated in human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-infected patients with HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis, we cloned CTL from the peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid from patients with neurologic diseases and demonstrated the presence of HLA-A2, A3, and B14 restricted responses to the HTLV-1 p40x (tax) protein. We identified the minimal amino acid residues within the epitopes required for binding and recognition by HLA-A2- and B14-restricted CTL, identified the critical residues within the peptide sequence defining the HLA-A2-restricted response, and demonstrated that CTL can lyse T cells infected with HTLV-1. This study shows that the CTL response to HTLV-1 tax in patients with neurologic diseases is heterogenous in nature and is not confined to patients of a single HLA haplotype or to a specific region of the tax protein.
Koenig
S
S
Department of Immunology, MedImmune, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD 20878.
Woods
R M
RM
Brewah
Y A
YA
Newell
A J
AJ
Jones
G M
GM
Boone
E
E
Adelsberger
J W
JW
Baseler
M W
MW
Robinson
S M
SM
Jacobson
S
S
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002999:Clone Cells; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis; D016356:Gene Products, tax / Q000276:immunology*; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology*; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
D000939:Epitopes; D016356:Gene Products, tax; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I