title: CD8+ T cell recognition of cryptic epitopes is a ubiquitous feature of AIDS virus infection.
abstract: Vaccines designed to elicit AIDS virus-specific CD8+ T cells should engender broad responses. Emerging data indicate that alternate reading frames (ARFs) of both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) encode CD8+ T cell epitopes, termed cryptic epitopes. Here, we show that SIV-specific CD8+ T cells from SIV-infected rhesus macaques target 14 epitopes in eight ARFs during SIV infection. Animals recognized up to five epitopes, totaling nearly one-quarter of the anti-SIV responses. The epitopes were targeted by high-frequency responses as early as 2 weeks postinfection and in the chronic phase. Hence, previously overlooked ARF-encoded epitopes could be important components of AIDS vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53711, USA. njmaness@wisc.edu
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Maness
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Shari M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Piaskowski
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Furlott
authors.forename: Holly L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kolar
authors.forename: Alexander T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Bean
authors.forename: Nancy A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: David I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Watkins
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D006678:HIV; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D018449:SAIDS Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D016097:Simian Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D018449:SAIDS Vaccines