Frequency of CD8(+) T lymphocytes specific for lytic and latent antigens of Epstein-Barr virus in healthy virus carriers.
We investigated CD8(+) T cell frequencies of five different Epstein-Barr virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes located within proteins of the replicative cycle and the latent state in healthy long-term virus carriers with IFN-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot assay. Frequencies of the HLA-A3-restricted epitope RVRAYTYSK (RVR) whose minimal length was mapped in this study to amino acid position 148-156 of the immediate-early protein BRLF1 were compared with those of a further known HLA-A3-restricted epitope within EBNA3A, RLRAEAQVK (RLR). Determination of frequencies of CD8(+) T lymphocytes directed against lytic antigen epitope RVR revealed that only one of eight donors recognized this epitope. Frequency was calculated to be 65 RVR-specific CD8(+) T lymphocytes per 10(6) PBMC. None of the HLA-A3-positive donors exhibited IFN-gamma release after antigenic stimulation with the EBNA3A-specific peptide epitope RLR. Furthermore, we chose three known HLA-B8-restricted epitopes, RAKFKQLL (RAK), FLRGRAYGL (FLR), and QAKWRLQTL (QAK), of the lytic protein BZLF1 and the latent protein EBNA3A. Examination of eight HLA-B8-positive virus carriers revealed that the BZLF1-specific epitope RAK was recognized by all donors with a median frequency of 233 RAK-specific CD8(+) T lymphocytes per 10(6) PBMC. Only 50% of these donors reacted against EBNA3A-specific epitope FLR and a minority (25%) reacted against EBNA3A-specific epitope QAK.
Benninger-Döring
G
G
Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, D-93053, Germany. wolfgang.jilg@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
Pepperl
S
S
Deml
L
L
Modrow
S
S
Wolf
H
H
Jilg
W
W
D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D002353:Carrier State / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D002460:Cell Line; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000276:immunology; D014764:Viral Proteins
C068382:BRLF1 protein, Human herpesvirus 4; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014764:Viral Proteins