Immunodominant CD8 T cell response to Epstein-Barr virus.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) provides one of the most informative systems for analysing cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in humans. The viral infection and its persistence are the results of an alternation of lytic and latent phases that are controlled by the immune response. Using a transient COS transfection assay that permits semi-quantitative estimation of CD8 T cell responses against a large number of HLA/viral protein combinations, we analyzed responses to EBV within a large number of polyclonal T cell lines. This allowed a rapid identification of major epitopes and the demonstration that EBV-specificT cells were mainly directed against a restricted set of immunodominant epitopes, primarily generated during the early lytic cycle. Knowledge of the antigen specificity of CDB T cell responses against EBV should help generate cytotoxic T cell lines to this herpesvirus, and more generally to study the molecular basis of immunodominance.
Houssaint
E
E
INSERM U463, Institut de Biologie, Nantes, France. chalmeau@nantes.inserm.fr
Saulquin
X
X
Scotet
E
E
Bonneville
M
M
D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D020031:Epstein-Barr Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology
D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes