Differing T-cell requirements for recombinant retrovirus vaccines
Year: 1996
Type: article
Abstract: Friend murine leukemia virus is a retrovirus complex that induces rapid erythroleukemia and immunosuppression in susceptible strains of adult mice. Using this model, we directly examined the T-cell subsets required for a protective retrovirus vaccine. Paradoxically, recovery in mice immunized with a chimeric envelope containing only T-helper (TH) and B-cell epitopes was dependent on CD8+ T cells as well as CD4+ T cells despite the fact that the vaccine contained no CD8+ cytolytic T-lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes. However, the requirement for CD8+ T cells was overcome by inclusion of additional TH and B-cell epitopes in the immunizing protein. These additional epitopes primed for more rapid production of virus-neutralizing antibody which appeared to limit virus spread sufficiently to protect even in the absence of CD8+ T cells. Inclusion of an immunodominant CTL epitope in the vaccine was not sufficient to overcome dependence on CD4+ T cells. These data suggest that TH priming is more critical for retrovirus immunity than CTL priming.
Source: Journal of Virology
Authors: K J Hasenkrug, D M Brooks, J Nishio, B Chesebro
Institution: Rocky Mountain Laboratories
Language: English
Topic: HIV Research and Treatment
Subfield: Virology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1535365756