Limited T cell receptor diversity of HCV-specific T cell responses is associated with CTL escape.
Escape mutations are believed to be important contributors to immune evasion by rapidly evolving viruses such as hepatitis C virus (HCV). We show that the majority of HCV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses directed against viral epitopes that escaped immune recognition in HCV-infected chimpanzees displayed a reduced CDR3 amino acid diversity when compared with responses in which no CTL epitope variation was detected during chronic infection or with those associated with protective immunity. Decreased T cell receptor (TCR) CDR3 amino acid diversity in chronic infection could be detected long before the appearance of viral escape mutations in the plasma. In both chronic and resolved infection, identical T cell receptor clonotypes were present in liver and peripheral blood. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the evolution of CTL epitope variations in chronic viral infections and highlight the importance of the generation and maintenance of a diverse TCR repertoire directed against individual epitopes.
Partners AIDS Research Center, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
Dirk
D
Meyer-Olson
Naglaa H
NH
Shoukry
Kristen W
KW
Brady
Helen
H
Kim
Douglas P
DP
Olson
Kelly
K
Hartman
Ayumi K
AK
Shintani
Christopher M
CM
Walker
Spyros A
SA
Kalams
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
D022801:Complementarity Determining Regions; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell