title: Alphavirus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognize a cross-reactive epitope from the capsid protein and can eliminate virus from persistently infected macrophages.
abstract: Persistent alphavirus infections in synovial and neural tissues are believed to be associated with chronic arthritis and encephalitis, respectively, and represent likely targets for CD8+ alphabeta cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Here we show that the capsid protein is a dominant target for alphavirus-specific CTL in BALB/c mice and that capsid-specific CTL from these mice recognize an H-2Kd restricted epitope, QYSGGRFTI. This epitope lies in the highly conserved region of the capsid protein, and QYSGGRFTI-specific CTL were cross reactive across a range of Old World alphaviruses. In vivo the acute primary viraemia of these highly cytopathic viruses was unaffected by QYSGGRFTI-specific CTL. However, in vitro these CTL were able to completely clear virus from macrophages persistently and productively infected with the arthrogenic alphavirus Ross River virus.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Linn
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mateo
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suhrbier
mesh_terms: D000524:Alphavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta