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Human T cell recognition of influenza A nucleoprotein. Specificity and genetic restriction of immunodominant T helper cell epitopes.

The characterization of human T cell antigenic sites on influenza A nucleoprotein (NP) is important for subunit vaccine development for either antibody boosting during infection or to stimulate T cell-mediated immunity. To identify such sites, 31 synthetic peptides that cover more than 95% of the amino acid sequence from NP of influenza A/NT/60/68 virus were tested for their ability to stimulate PBL from 42 adult donors. The most frequently recognized region was covered by a peptide corresponding to residues 206-229 of NP, with 20/42 (48%) of responders. In many individuals this was also one of the peptides that stimulated the strongest T cell responses. Other regions that were also frequently recognized were 341-362 by 13/42 (30%), 297-318 by 10/42 (23%), and 182-205 by 9/42 (21%) of individuals. These peptides covered highly conserved regions in NP of influenza A viruses, suggesting that they could be useful in boosting cross-reactive immunity against the known type A virus strains. In order to define the class II restriction molecules used to present particular T cell epitopes, 22 persons from the donor panel were HLA-typed. The majority of persons who expressed DR2, and proliferated to NP also responded to the major immunodominant region 206-229. In addition, this peptide was also immunodominant in the one person expressing DRw13. The observation that recognition of this peptide is associated with DR2 was confirmed by using short term T cell lines and APC from a panel of typed donors. Further results with virus-specific T cell lines and clones and transfected L cells expressing DR molecules showed that DR1 could also present this peptide. Therefore the results suggest that recognition of 206-229 is associated with at least three different DR haplotypes and this may explain the high frequency with which this peptide is recognized in the population. The fine specificity of the response to peptide 206-229 was distinct when presented by DR1- or DR2-expressing APC. The DR1 response was dependent on the N terminus, and the DR2 response was directed to the C terminus of the peptide.