title: Identification of swine influenza virus epitopes and analysis of multiple specificities expressed by cytotoxic T cell subsets.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I peptide binding and presentation are essential for antigen-specific activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and swine MHC class I molecules, also termed swine leukocyte antigens (SLA), thus play a crucial role in the process that leads to elimination of viruses such as swine influenza virus (SwIV). This study describes the identification of SLA-presented peptide epitopes that are targets for a swine CTL response, and further analyses multiple specificities expressed by SwIV activated CTL subsets.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four SwIV derived peptides were identified as T cell epitopes using fluorescent influenza:SLA tetramers. In addition, multiple CTL specificities were analyzed using peptide sequence substitutions in two of the four epitope candidates analyzed. Interestingly both conserved and substituted peptides were found to stain the CD4-CD8+ T cell subsets indicating multiple specificities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study describes a timely and cost-effective approach for viral epitope identification in livestock animals. Analysis of T cell subsets showed multiple specificities suggesting SLA-bound epitope recognition of different conformations.
authors.affiliation: National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Frederiksberg C, Denmark. lasse.eggers@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lasse E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Solvej Ø
authors.initials: SØ
authors.lastname: Breum
authors.forename: Ulla
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Riber
authors.forename: Lars E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Gregers
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jungersen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D013552:Swine / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000145:classification*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; C438668:swine leukocyte antigen