The proportion of herpes simplex virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (Tc) that recognize glycoprotein C varies between individual mice and is dependent on the form of immunization.
In mice the immune response to HSV-1 includes a brisk Tc response that is intimately associated with the control of infection. This report evaluated the Tc response to gC, one of the envelope glycoproteins of HSV-1. This protein was recognized as a target antigen for Tc from HSV-1 immune mice only if they expressed the H-2Kb MHC allele. However, even within these "responder" strains of mice the proportion of gC specific Tc was highly variable. The failure of HSV-induced Tc to recognize gC in the context of other class 1 MHC haplotypes (H-2d and H-2k) was demonstrable at the clonal level and could not be attributed to peculiarities of the recombinant constructs. Surprisingly, despite the inability of H-2k-restricted, HSV-1-induced Tc to recognize gC, when a vaccinia gC virus construct was used to immunize H-2k strains of mice it showed a variable ability to induce memory Tc populations capable of lysing HSV-1-infected autologous cells. Of added importance was the correlation of this induced Tc response with optimum protection against subsequent challenge with HSV-1. This demonstrated that despite the presence of suitable epitopes, the context of the immunogen would also influence its ability to induce Tc. Consequently, the potential repertoire of available HSV-1-specific Tc specificities is larger than indicated by studying animals immunized with HSV.
Martin
S
S
Upjohn Laboratories, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Mercadal
C M
CM
Weir
J P
JP
Rouse
B T
BT
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D004431:Ear, External / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000517:prevention & control; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007739:L Cells / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology; D014616:Vaccinia virus; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D006183:H-2 Antigens; C032876:H-2Kb protein, mouse; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines; C048232:glycoprotein C, herpes simplex virus type 2