title: Immunodomination in the evolution of dominant epitope-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte responses in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected rhesus monkeys.
abstract: Because the control of HIV-1 replication is largely dependent on CD8+ T lymphocyte responses specific for immunodominant viral epitopes, vaccine strategies that increase the breadth of dominant epitope-specific responses should contribute to containing HIV-1 spread. Developing strategies to elicit such broad immune responses will require an understanding of the mechanisms responsible for focusing CD8+ T lymphocyte recognition on a limited number of epitopes. To explore this biology, we identified cohorts of rhesus monkeys that expressed the MHC class I molecules Mamu-A*01, Mamu-A*02, or both, and assessed the evolution of their dominant epitope-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte responses (Gag p11C- and Tat TL8-specific in the Mamu-A*01+ and Nef p199RY-specific in the Mamu-A*02+ monkeys) following acute SIV infection. The Mamu-A*02+ monkeys that also expressed Mamu-A*01 exhibited a significant delay in the evolution of the CD8+ T lymphocyte responses specific for the dominant Mamu-A*02-restricted SIV epitope, Nef p199RY. This delay in kinetics was not due to differences in viral load kinetics or magnitude or in viral escape mutations, but was associated with the evolution of the Mamu-A*01-restricted CD8+ T lymphocyte responses to the highly dominant SIV epitopes Gag p11C and Tat TL8. Thus, the evolution of dominant epitope-specific CD8+ T lymphocyte responses can be suppressed by other dominant epitope-specific responses, and this immunodomination is important in determining the kinetics of dominant epitope-specific responses.
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Pathogenesis, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Newberg
authors.forename: Kimberly J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: McEvers
authors.forename: Darci A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Gorgone
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lifton
authors.forename: Susanne H C
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Baumeister
authors.forename: Ronald S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Veazey
authors.forename: Jörn E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.forename: Norman L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Letvin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology*; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes