[Identification of HTNV-NP-specific T lymphocyte epitopes and analysis of the epitope-specific T cell response].
OBJECTIVE
To identify the nucleocapsid protein of Hantaan virus (HTNV-NP)-specific T lymphocyte epitopes and analyze the epitope-specific T cell response during hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).


METHODS
T lymphocyte epitopes and frequencies of epitope-specific T cells were determined by ELISPOT using PBMCs from HFRS patients stimulated by individual or mixture of overlapping 15-mer peptides spanning the amino acid sequence of HTNV-NP.


RESULTS
Out of 10 peptide mixtures, 8 elicited strong HTNV-NP-specific responses in 18 of 47 HFRS patients, and the T cell response was found at early stage of HFRS. Moreover, 17 HTNV-NP-specific T lymphocyte epitopes were identified in 11 patients, and most epitopes were clustered near the center of NP in linear structure. Among them, 14 T lymphocyte epitopes were described for the first time.


CONCLUSIONS
HTNV-NP-specific T cell response can be elicited at early stage of HFRS and T lymphocyte epitopes mainly located in the center of NP, suggesting that it may play an important role in immune protection during HTNV infection.
Wang
Mei-liang
ML
Department of Immunology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
Zhu
Yong
Y
Wang
Jiu-ping
JP
Liu
Jing-mei
JM
Fang
Liang
L
Jin
Bo-quan
BQ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D018063:Hantaan virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006480:Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
D036022:Capsid Proteins; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C111782:nucleocapsid protein, Hantaan virus