Abstract:
Abstract
Adenovirus infection in children after stem cell transplantation causes relevant mortality and morbidity. For quick t-cell response are not only CD4 positive t-cells, but also cytotoxic CD8 positive t-cells essential. In order of this in this work MHC-I epitopes of adenoviral hexonprotein were examined. Aim of this work was identification of new adenoviral t-cell epitopes in order to characterize HadV better to get diagnostic and therapeutic improvements in managing HAdV infections. By database supported algorythms HLA-A1, A2 and A24 restricted epitopes from the adenoviral hexonprotein were predicted and 39 hexonpeptides were synthetic produced. For characterization of specific t-cell response to these MHC-restricted peptides 17 healthy donors were examined, altogether 39 MHC-I restricted peptides were tested by ELISPOT and intracellular staining.
HLA-A1 peptide 1945 with aminoacid sequence LTDLGQNLLY was proved as immunodominant peptide in HLA-A1 donors, which is positive in 83% of all donors in ELISPOT, in intracellular staining it is positive in 67% of the donors and demonstrates both a CD3/CD8 response and a CD3/CD4 response. Leen et al. published in 2004 a HLA-A1 restricted peptide, except for 1 aminoacid identical to 1945, that was positive in 6 of 6 donors. As a result 1945 is a relevant epitope for CD8 positive cytotoxic t-cells and also for CD4 positive t-helper cells.
HLA-A2 and A24 donors demonstrate a considerable variance between donors: the preference of epitopes of t-cell response of individual donor is directed reproducible towards non-immunodominante peptides, so that no peptide is positive in both methods in more than 2 donors.
In summary, adenoviral hexonprotein shows both an interindividual preference in choice of t-cell epitopes and an immunodominant epitope für HLA-A1.