Antigen structure influences helper T-cell epitope dominance in the human immune response to HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120.

ABSTRACT: The development of an effective vaccine against HIV/AIDS has been hampered, in part, by a poor understanding of the rules governing helper T-cell epitope immunodominance. Studies in mice have shown that antigen structure modulates epitope immunodominance by affecting the processing and subsequent presentation of helper T-cell epitopes. Previous epitope mapping studies showed that the immunodominant helper T-cell epitopes in mice immunized with gp120 were found flanking flexible loops of the protein. In this report, we show that helper T-cell epitopes against gp120 in humans infected with HIV are also found flanking flexible loops. Immunodominant epitopes were found to be located primarily in the outer domain, an average of 12 residues C-terminal to flexible loops. In the less immunogenic i

SUBMITTER: Mirano-Bascos D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3855344 | biostudies-literature | 2008 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature