Novel HLA-B7-restricted human metapneumovirus epitopes enhance viral clearance in mice and are recognized by human CD8⁺ T cells.

ABSTRACT: Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract illness in children and adults. Repeated infections are common and can be severe in young, elderly, and immunocompromised persons due to short-lived protective humoral immunity. In turn, few protective T cell epitopes have been identified in humans. Thus, we infected transgenic mice expressing the common human HLA MHC-I allele B*07:02 (HLA-B7) with HMPV and screened a robust library of overlapping and computationally predicted HLA-B7 binding peptides. Six HLA-B7-restricted CD8⁺ T cell epitopes were identified using ELISPOT screening in the F, M, and N proteins, with M_195-203 (M195) eliciting the strongest responses. MHC-tetramer flow cytometric staining confirmed HLA-B7 epitope-specific C

SUBMITTER: Miranda-Katz M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8531189 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature