title: CD4+ T-cell-epitope escape mutant virus selected in vivo.
abstract: Mutations in viral genomes that affect T-cell-receptor recognition by CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes have been shown to allow viral evasion from immune surveillance during persistent viral infections. Although CD4+ T-helper cells are crucially involved in the maintenance of effective cytotoxic T-lymphocyte and neutralizing-antibody responses, their role in viral clearance and therefore in imposing similar selective pressures on the virus is unclear. We show here that transgenic virus-specific CD4+ Tcells, transferred into mice persistently infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, select for T-helper epitope mutant viruses that are not recognized. Together with the observed antigenic variation of the same T-helper epitope during polyclonal CD4+ T-cell responses in infected pore-forming protein-deficient C57BL/6 mice, this finding indicates that viral escape from CD4+ T lymphocytes is a possible mechanism of virus persistence.
authors: Institute for Experimental Immunology, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland. adrian.ciurea@dim.usz.ch
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Ciurea
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Hunziker
authors: M M
authors: MM
authors: Martinic
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Oxenius
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Hengartner
authors: R M
authors: RM
authors: Zinkernagel
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D004247:DNA; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D004247:DNA