title: Identification of a peptide capable of inducing an HIV-1 Tat-specific CTL response.
abstract: Although Tat-specific CTL responses are elicited in HIV-infected patients and in non-human primate models, specific CTL epitopes within Tat have not been identified. In this study, we mucosally immunized mice with recombinant, full-length Tat protein or individual Tat-specific, overlapping peptides to map putative H-2d-restricted, Tat-specific CTL epitopes. Standard chromium release assays from splenocytes of immunized animals identified a peptide (QPKTACTNC) capable of inducing Tat-specific CTL responses. This newly-identified epitope lies within a region of low sequence variability among HIV-1 subtypes, suggesting its potential use in a multicomponent AIDS vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Program in Molecular Pathogenesis and Immunity, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Tulane University Health Science Center, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thanawastien
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Clements
mesh_terms: D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000276:immunology; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D000939:Epitopes; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D015696:Gene Products, tat; D015488:HIV Antigens; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C421254:human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Tat vaccine; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C445078:tat peptide (17-25), Human immunodeficiency virus 1; C027538:heat-labile enterotoxin, E coli