Immediate-early transactivator Rta of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) shows multiple epitopes recognized by EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

ABSTRACT: We analyzed the immediate-early transactivator Rta of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) for its role as a target for specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Panels of overlapping peptides covering the entire amino acid sequence of Rta were synthesized and used to induce and analyze specific CTL responses in EBV-positive donors. Using peptide-pulsed target cells, we found nine different CTL epitopes that are distributed over the entire protein sequence. One epitope restricted by HLA-A24 could be mapped to the decameric sequence DYCNVLNKEF between amino acid positions 28 and 37 of the Rta protein. A second epitope could be assigned to the same region of Rta (residues 25 to 39) and was shown to be restricted by HLA-B18. Another, minimal epitope could be mapped to the nonameric sequence ATIGTAMYK betwe

SUBMITTER: Pepperl S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC110276 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature