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Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI3714

Enhanced in vitro potency and in vivo immunogenicity of a CTL epitope from hepatitis C virus core protein following amino acid replacement at secondary HLA-A2.1 binding positions.

P Sarobe, C D Pendleton, T Akatsuka, D Lau, V H Engelhard, S M Feinstone, and J A Berzofsky

Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Molecular Immunogenetics and Vaccine Research Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

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Published September 15, 1998 - More info

Published in Volume 102, Issue 6 on September 15, 1998
J Clin Invest. 1998;102(6):1239–1248. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI3714.
© 1998 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published September 15, 1998 - Version history
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Abstract

Since the natural immune response to hepatitis C virus (HCV) is often unable to clear the infection, to enhance immunogenicity we studied substituted peptides from an HCV cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitope (C7A2) from a conserved region of the HCV core protein (DLMGYIPLV) recognized by CTL lines from HLA-A2.1(+) HCV-infected patients and HLA-A2.1 transgenic mice. HLA-A2.1 binding, human and murine CTL recognition, and in vivo immunogenicity (using mice transgenic for human HLA-A2 in lieu of immunizing humans) were analyzed to define peptides with enhanced immunogenicity. Peptides substituted at position 1 showed enhanced HLA-A2 binding affinity, but paradoxically poorer immunogenicity. A peptide with Ala substituted at position 8 (8A) showed higher HLA-A2 binding affinity and CTL recognition and was a more potent in vivo immunogen in HLA-A2-transgenic mice, inducing higher CTL responses with higher avidity against native C7A2 than induced by C7A2 itself. These results suggest that peptide 8A is a more potent in vitro antigen and in vivo immunogen than C7A2 and may be useful as a vaccine component. They provide proof of principle that the strategy of epitope enhancement can enhance immunogenicity of a CTL epitope recognized by human CTL.

Version history
  • Version 1 (September 15, 1998): No description
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