title: A translatable molecular approach to determining CD8 T-cell epitopes in TMEV infection.
abstract: Defining the epitope specificity of CD8+ T cells is an important goal in autoimmune and immune-mediated disease research. We have developed a translational molecular approach to determine the epitope specificity of CD8+ T cells using the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) model of multiple sclerosis (MS). TMEV-specific CD8+ T cells were isolated from brains and spleens of 7-day TMEV-infected C57BL/6J mice and stimulated by Cos-7 cells that were co-transfected with expression vectors encoding the D(b) class I molecule along with overlapping segments of the TMEV genome. Both brain-infiltrating and spleen-derived CD8+ T cells expressed IFN-gamma when Cos-7 cells were co-transfected with D(b) class I molecule and the TMEV genomic segment that encoded the immunodominant TMEV epitope. This demonstrated that peripheral and brain-infiltrating CD8+ T-cell responses were focused on peptide epitope(s) encoded by the same region of the TMEV genome. We propose that a similar molecular approach could also be used to determine the antigen specificity of suppressor CD8 T cells by the measurement of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) production. In addition, with a randomly generated library and peripheral blood or isolated CSF CD8+ T cells, this would be an effective method of predicting the epitope specificity of CD8+ T cells in human inflammatory CNS diseases, in animal models of MS or other organ-specific inflammatory diseases with a protective or pathogenic role of CD8 T cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Jeremiah
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McDole
authors.forename: Georgette
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Suidan
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Boespflug
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Istvan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pirko
authors.forename: Aaron
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D019556:COS Cells; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D017945:Theilovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D010455:Peptides