Fine-specificity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes which recognize conserved epitopes of the Gag protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses were studied in seven seropositive long-term asymptomatic individuals (CDC A1) with stable CD4 counts for more than 8 years. Using a set of partially overlapping peptides covering the whole Gag, five 15-20-mer peptides were found to contain CTL epitopes. Further characterization of these epitopes revealed a new HLA-A25-restricted CTL epitope in p24, p24(203-212) ETINEEAAEW. This region of Gag is highly conserved in clades B and D of HIV-1. Naturally occurring amino acid sequences, containing p24(203)D (consensus HIV-1 clades A, C, F, G and H) or p24(204)I (HIV-2ROD) were not recognized by CTL recognizing the index peptide. No virus variants with mutations in this sequence were found in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the HIV-1-infected individual concerned during the 8 year observation period, indicating that the virus had not escaped from the observed CTL response.
van Baalen
C A
CA
Institute of Virology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Klein
M R
MR
Huisman
R C
RC
Dings
M E
ME
Kerkhof Garde
S R
SR
Geretti
A M
AM
Gruters
R
R
van Els
C A
CA
Miedema
F
F
Osterhaus
A D
AD
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017741:Survivors; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; C037019:HLA-A*25 antigen; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I