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HLA-DQ tetramers identify epitope-specific T cells in peripheral blood of herpes simplex virus type 2-infected individuals: direct detection of immunodominant antigen-responsive cells.
Title | HLA-DQ tetramers identify epitope-specific T cells in peripheral blood of herpes simplex virus type 2-infected individuals: direct detection of immunodominant antigen-responsive cells. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2000 |
Authors | Kwok, WW, Liu, AW, Novak, EJ, Gebe, JA, Ettinger, RA, Nepom, GT, Reymond, SN, Koelle, DM |
Journal | J Immunol |
Volume | 164 |
Issue | 8 |
Pagination | 4244-9 |
Date Published | 2000 Apr 15 |
ISSN | 0022-1767 |
Keywords | Amino Acid Sequence, Antigens, Viral, Clone Cells, Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte, Herpes Genitalis, Herpes Simplex Virus Protein Vmw65, Herpesvirus 2, Human, HLA-DQ Antigens, Humans, Immunodominant Epitopes, Influenza A virus, Lymphocyte Count, Molecular Sequence Data, Peptide Fragments, Protein Binding, Stem Cells, T-Lymphocytes |
Abstract | Ag-specific CD4+ T cells are present in peripheral blood in low frequency, where they undergo recruitment and expansion during immune responses and in the pathogenesis of numerous autoimmune diseases. MHC tetramers, which constitute a labeled MHC-peptide ligand suitable for binding to the Ag-specific receptor on T cells, provide a novel approach for the detection and characterization of such rare cells. In this study, we utilized this technology to identify HLA DQ-restricted Ag-specific T cells in the peripheral blood of human subjects and to identify immunodominant epitopes associated with viral infection. Peptides representing potential epitope regions of the VP16 protein from HSV-2 were loaded onto recombinant DQ0602 molecules to generate a panel of Ag-specific DQ0602 tetramers. VP16 Ag-specific DQ-restricted T cells were identified and expanded from the peripheral blood of HSV-2-infected individuals, representing two predominant epitope specificities. Although the VP16 369-380 peptide has a lower binding affinity for DQ0602 molecules than the VP16 33-52 peptide, T cells that recognized the VP16 369-380 peptide occurred at a much higher frequency than those that were specific for the VP16 33-52 peptide. |
Alternate Journal | J. Immunol. |
PubMed ID | 10754321 |