title: Detection of CD8+ T cells sensitized to BK virus large T antigen in healthy volunteers and kidney transplant recipients.
abstract: BK virus (BKV) infections after renal transplantation are increasingly recognized. Development of immune monitoring strategies against BKV requires definition of antigenic epitopes. Hence, T cells from HLA-A02-positive healthy subjects and kidney transplant recipients were stimulated by BKV lysate pulsed on mature autologous dendritic cells and screened against four different T antigen peptides or against BKV lysate. IFN-gamma production was measured by ELISPOT assays. The peptide BKV362-371 (MLTERFNHIL) was naturally processed and recognized by five of six healthy subjects (39 +/- 11 IFN-gamma spots/100,000 cells) and five of seven kidney transplant recipients (21 +/- 12 IFN-gamma spots). Less frequent and weaker CD8+ T-cell responses were detected against three other peptides. Thus, BKV large T antigen is a target for CD8+ T-cell immunity. T-antigen-specific T-cytotoxic cells circulate in healthy blood donors, implying that transient expression of T antigen presumably occurs at sites of viral latency and helps maintain a constant pool of circulating CD8+ T memory cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. randhawapa@msx.upmc.edu
authors.forename: Parmjeet S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Randhawa
authors.forename: Iulia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Popescu
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macedo
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zeevi
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.forename: Abhay N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Vats
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Metes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming / Q000097:blood*; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D001739:BK Virus / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000032:analysis; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015166:Monitoring, Immunologic; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor; D010455:Peptides; D007371:Interferon-gamma