Brander C, O'Connor P, Suscovich T, Jones NG, Lee Y, Kedes D, Ganem D, Martin J, Osmond D, Southwood S, Sette A, Walker BD, Scadden DT.
2001.
Definition of an optimal cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitope in the latently expressed Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus kaposin protein.
The Journal of infectious diseases.
184(2):119-26.
Pubmed: 11424007
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) recognize and kill virus-infected cells and contribute to immunologic control of viral replication. For many herpesviruses (e.g., Epstein-Barr and cytomegalovirus), virus-specific CTL responses can be readily detected in infected persons, but CTL responses against Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) appear to be weak and remain poorly characterized. Using a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) binding motif-based epitope prediction algorithm, we identified 37 HLA-A*0201 binding peptides from 8 KSHV open-reading frames (ORFs). After in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from KSHV-infected persons, CTL responses against 1 peptide in the KSHV kaposin protein (ORF K12) were detected in 2 HLA-A*0201-positive subjects. The optimal CTL epitope was identified by HLA restriction analysis and peptide titration assays. These data describe a latent phase viral gene product targeted by CTL that may be relevant for KSHV immunopathogenesis.
