Protective cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses induced by DNA immunization against immunodominant and subdominant epitopes of Listeria monocytogenes are noncompetitive.
Taking advantage of the fact that plasmid DNA encoding a single cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope can induce CTLs, we examined the influence of T-cell responses to dominant epitopes on those to a subdominant epitope derived from Listeria monocytogenes. Our data suggest that interaction between T cells against dominant and subdominant epitopes does not operate in the generation of the hierarchy. Furthermore, we found that a single dominant epitope is sufficient for the induction of protective immunity.
Yamada
T
T
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hamamatsu Univeristy School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan.
Uchiyama
H
H
Nagata
T
T
Uchijima
M
M
Suda
T
T
Chida
K
K
Nakamura
H
H
Koide
Y
Y
D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007114:Immunization; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology*
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D007371:Interferon-gamma; C038705:hlyA protein, Listeria monocytogenes