Definition of an optimal cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope in the latently expressed Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus kaposin protein.
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) recognize and kill virus-infected cells and contribute to immunologic control of viral replication. For many herpesviruses (e.g., Epstein-Barr and cytomegalovirus), virus-specific CTL responses can be readily detected in infected persons, but CTL responses against Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) appear to be weak and remain poorly characterized. Using a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) binding motif-based epitope prediction algorithm, we identified 37 HLA-A*0201 binding peptides from 8 KSHV open-reading frames (ORFs). After in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from KSHV-infected persons, CTL responses against 1 peptide in the KSHV kaposin protein (ORF K12) were detected in 2 HLA-A*0201-positive subjects. The optimal CTL epitope was identified by HLA restriction analysis and peptide titration assays. These data describe a latent phase viral gene product targeted by CTL that may be relevant for KSHV immunopathogenesis.
Brander
C
C
AIDS Research Center and Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
O'Connor
P
P
Suscovich
T
T
Jones
N G
NG
Lee
Y
Y
Kedes
D
D
Ganem
D
D
Martin
J
J
Osmond
D
D
Southwood
S
S
Sette
A
A
Walker
B D
BD
Scadden
D T
DT
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D019288:Herpesvirus 8, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D000939:Epitopes; D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D014764:Viral Proteins; C120136:kaposin B protein, Human herpesvirus 8