Human papillomavirus 16-specific T cell responses in classic HPV-related vulvar intra-epithelial neoplasia. Determination of strongly immunogenic regions from E6 and E7 proteins.

Cell-mediated immunity directed against human papillomavirus 16 (HPV-16) antigens was studied in 16 patients affected with classic vulvar intra-epithelial neoplasia (VIN), also known as bowenoid papulosis (BP). Ten patients had blood lymphocyte proliferative T cell responses directed against E6/2 (14-34) and/or E6/4 (45-68) peptides, which were identified in the present study as immunodominant among HPV-16 E6 and E7 large peptides. Ex vivo enzyme-linked immunospot-interferon (IFN)-gamma assay was positive in three patients who had proliferative responses. Twelve months later, proliferative T cell responses remained detectable in only six women and the immunodominant antigens remained the E6/2 (14-34) and E6/4 (45-68) peptides. The latter large fragments of peptides contained many epitopes able to bind to at least seven human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules and were strong binders to seven HLA-DR class II molecules. In order to build a therapeutic anti-HPV-16 vaccine, E6/2 (14-34) and E6/4 (45-68) fragments thus appear to be good candidates to increase HPV-specific effector T lymphocyte responses and clear classic VIN (BP) disease lesions.

[Designing an effective AIDS vaccine: strategies and current status]. / Mise au point d'un vaccin prophylactique contre l'infection par le VIH. Où en est la recherche clinique?

PURPOSE: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome induce account for over 40 million deaths in the past 20 years. Given that the currently available treatments to prevent HIV transmission and disease are not effective in eradicating the virus, vaccination likely represents the only efficacious adapted response to the global impact of this infection. This paper reviews the challenges encountered in the development of an HIV vaccine as well as the different vaccine approaches and main HIV vaccine candidates evaluated in clinical trials. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND KEY POINTS: In spite the tremendous progress in HIV research, the major challenges that are encountered in the development of an HIV vaccine remain of scientific order and include viral specificities, absence of correlates of immune protection and limitations of existing animal models. Over 30 vaccine candidates have been evaluated in clinical trials. These vaccine approaches include the use of recombinant envelope proteins, DNA vaccines, live-vectored recombinant vaccines, subunit vaccines and prime-boost regimens combining various vaccine candidates. Although the protective efficacy of these candidate vaccines has yet to be demonstrated, some vaccination regiments appear to dampen initial viremia and prolong disease-free survival. FUTURE PROSPECTS AND PROJECTS: Faced with the challenges in developing an HIV vaccine, international consortia and new methodologies have been proposed in order to accelerate the development and screening process of new candidate HIV vaccines. Moreover, in the absence of a protective vaccine, the impact of a vaccine that confers partial protection needs to be seriously considered.

T cell response to Hu-D peptides in patients with anti-Hu syndrome.

The anti-Hu syndrome is the most common paraneoplastic neurologic syndrome but the exact mechanism of immune mediated neuronal injury remains unknown. Anti-Hu antibodies do not appear to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of the disease. To assess cell-mediated immunity, we selected 51 peptides from the Hu-D sequence and tested their ability to bind to six common HLA class I molecules. Stable complexes with purified HLA molecules were obtained with 19/51 (37%) selected peptides. Subsequently, the ability of the 19 HLA-binding peptides to stimulate T cells from 10 patients and 10 control subjects was evaluated by detecting IFN-gamma secretion. An anti-peptide T-cell response was observed in 7/10 Hu-positive patients but also in 3/10 control subjects. Overall, a significant T-cell activation occurred in response to 74% (14 out of 19) of the selected peptides in the Hu-positive patients vs. 16% (3 out of 19) in the control group (p < 0.001). In addition, T cells of patients tested within 3 months of the onset of anti-Hu syndrome responded to 82% (14 out of 17) of assessed Hu-D peptides vs. 37% (7 out of 19) in patients tested 1 year or more after developing the syndrome (p < 0.01). Thus, the present study suggests a role of cellular immunity during the course of anti-Hu syndrome.

Study of antigen-processing steps reveals preferences explaining differential biological outcomes of two HLA-A2-restricted immunodominant epitopes from human immunodeficiency virus type 1.

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses directed to different human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epitopes vary in their protective efficacy. In particular, HIV-infected cells are much more sensitive to lysis by anti-Gag/p17(77-85)/HLA-A2 than to that by anti-polymerase/RT(476-484)/HLA-A2 CTL, because of a higher density of p17(77-85) complexes. This report describes multiple processing steps favoring the generation of p17(77-85) complexes: (i) the exact COOH-terminal cleavage of epitopes by cellular proteases occurred faster and more frequently for p17(77-85) than for RT(476-484), and (ii) the binding efficiency of the transporter associated with antigen processing was greater for p17(77-85) precursors than for the RT(476-484) epitope. Surprisingly, these peptides, which differed markedly in their antigenicity, displayed qualitatively and quantitatively similar immunogenicity, suggesting differences in the mechanisms governing these phenomena. Here, we discuss the mechanisms responsible for such differences.

Lipopeptide presentation pathway in dendritic cells.

Lipopeptides are currently being evaluated as candidate vaccines in human volunteers. They elicit cytotoxic responses from CD8(+) T lymphocytes, whereas peptides without a lipidic moiety usually do not. The exact processing and presentation pathways leading to association with MHC class I molecules has not yet been defined. This is of particular interest in dendritic cells, which are required for primary T cell stimulation. We have tracked lipopeptides derived from an HLA-A2.1-restricted HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase epitope, by N-terminal addition of an N-epsilon-palmitoyl-lysine. Entry of the lipopeptides into human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDC) was mediated by endocytosis, as assessed by colocalization using analogs labelled with rhodamine, and by confocal microscopy. This internalization in DC induced functional stimulation of CD8(+) T lymphocytes specific for the epitopes, quantified by Interferon-gamma ELISPOT assays. The peptide alone was not visualized inside the DC and was only presented through direct surface association to HLA-A*0201. Therefore, lipopeptides provide a model system to define precisely the cross-presentation pathways that lead exogenous proteins to associate with class I MHC molecules within dendritic cells. Using this approach, cross-presentation pathways can be better defined and vaccine lipopeptides can be further optimized for MHC class I association in human dendritic cells.

Downregulation of major histocompatibility class I on human dendritic cells by HIV Nef impairs antigen presentation to HIV-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes.

The HIV early regulatory Nef protein downregulates surface expression of major histocompatibility class I (MHC I) molecules on various immortalized cell lines and on T lymphocytes. MHC I-restricted presentation induces CD8+ T cell responses, which have a major role in limiting HIV infection. Induction of primary immune responses requires dendritic cells, which are major candidates as the first cells that can internalize the virus and present it to T cells in mucosal contamination. To test the effect of Nef on MHC I-restricted antigen presentation by dendritic cells, we used recombinant vaccinia viruses. Flow cytometric analysis of double labeling for a vaccinia protein and MHC I showed that HIV-1 Lai Nef indeed downregulated MHC I surface expression on dendritic cells. MHC I-restricted presentation to a Nef-specific CD8+ cell clone from an infected patient was decreased in an interferon gamma ELISpot assay. Presentation of a reverse transcriptase epitopic peptide on sorted Nef-infected cells was decreased in a peptide concentration-dependent way, confirming the role of MHC I downregulation in the impairment of the CD8+ cell-specific response. Therefore, Nef downregulates MHC I surface expression on human dendritic cells, impairing presentation to HIV-specific CD8+ cells. This action of Nef probably induces a deleterious delay in the early CD8+ responses during the first days of infection and at the onset of new viral mutants.

Lipopeptides induce cell-mediated anti-HIV immune responses in seronegative volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: Test the efficacy of a mixture of six NEF (N1, N2, N3), GAG (G1, G2) and ENV (E) lipopeptides in the induction of B- and T-cell anti-HIV responses. DESIGN: A randomized phase I open-label dose-finding trial. Twenty-eight healthy seronegative volunteers received the lipopeptides, with or without the adjuvant QS21. METHODS: Anti-HIV-peptide antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting. Induction of cellulary responses was assessed by proliferative test and (51)Cr-release assay. RESULTS: Local and systemic adverse reactions were always mild or moderate. After three injections an antibody response was detected in 25 out of 28 volunteers (89%). T cells from 19 (79%) of the 24 volunteers proliferated in response to at least one peptide. The majority of the volunteers had induced a multispecific proliferative response; that is, cells from volunteers proliferated to two (five of 19), three (five of 19), four (three of 19) or five peptides (one of 19). Cytotoxic responses by anti-HIV CD8+ lymphocytes could be tested in 24 volunteers, 13 (54%) of whom had clear and reproducible responses, with strong activity in the remaining 12 (> 20% of specific lysis), and polyepitopic responses were detected in at least seven of the 13 responders. Cytotoxic responses were found against the whole NEF protein (clade B LAI) in three of four tested volunteers and cross-reactions with the proteins of clade B (MN) and clade A (Bangui) HIV-1 strains, and also HIV-2 ROD, were detected in one of two tested volunteers. CONCLUSIONS: Lipopeptides are promising immunogens for an AIDS vaccine.

Characteristics of HIV-1 Nef regions containing multiple CD8+ T cell epitopes: wealth of HLA-binding motifs and sensitivity to proteasome degradation.

First and foremost among the many factors that influence epitope presentation are the degradation of Ag, which results in peptide liberation, and the presence of HLA class I molecules able to present the peptides to T lymphocytes. To define the regions of HIV-1 Nef that can provide multiple T cell epitopes, we analyzed the Nef sequence and determined that there are 73 peptides containing 81 HLA-binding motifs. We tested the binding of these peptides to six common HLA molecules (HLA-A2, -A3, -A24, -B7, -B8, and -B35), and we showed that most of them were efficient binders (54% of motifs), especially peptides associating with HLA-A3, -B7/35, and -B8 molecules. Nef peptides most frequently recognized by T cells of HIV-1-infected individuals were 90-97, 135-143, 71-81, 77-85, 90-100, 73-82, and 128-137. The frequency of T cell recognition was not directly related to the strength of peptide-HLA binding. The generation of Nef epitopes is crucial; therefore, we investigated the digestion by the 20S proteasome of a large peptide, Nef(66-100). This fragment was efficiently cleaved, and NH(2)-terminally extended precursors of epitope 71-81 were recognized by T cells of an HIV-1-infected individual. These results suggest that a high frequency of T cell recognition may depend on proteasome cleavage.

Regression of primary hepatocarcinoma in cancer-prone transgenic mice by local interferon-gamma delivery is associated with macrophages recruitment and nitric oxide production.

The clinical potential of tumor therapies must be evaluated using animal models closely resembling human cancers. We investigated the impact of locally delivered interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) on primary hepatocarcinoma spontaneously developed by T-SV40 transgenic mice. A single intratumor injection of adenovirus IFN-gamma was sufficient enough to induce in vivo production of biologically active IFN-gamma, as assessed by STAT1 activation. IFN-gamma secretion led to the regression of primary tumor, principally by apoptosis of tumor hepatocytes. The lack of T-cells infiltrates in the liver upon treatment excluded a role of a specific immune response. In contrast, indirect pathways may include tumoricidal function of macrophages. Indeed, they were massively recruited in the entire liver under IFN-gamma treatment; transmigration through hepatic blood vessels could be observed and co-localization with damaged hepatocytes was obvious. This correlated with nonparenchymal liver cell iNOS expression and high level of NO in hepatic extracts. Moreover, in vitro experiments showed that NO releasing agents induced cell death of freshly isolated tumor hepatocytes, suggesting that NO could be one of the major effector molecules. Altogether, these observations defined an important role of IFN-gamma in controlling tumor development in a model of primary hepatocarcinoma.

Clinical and biological relevance of hepatocyte apoptosis in alcoholic hepatitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although human and experimental studies have shown that apoptosis plays a role in hepatocyte death in alcoholic liver disease, its clinical and biological significance has not been investigated in alcoholic hepatitis (AH). The aim of this study was to quantify hepatocyte apoptosis in AH and to attempt to relate it to the clinical and biological severity of the disease. METHODS: The hepatocyte apoptotic index was determined using a double in situ transferase-mediated dUTP nick end (TUNEL) and CD15 (neutrophils) labelling on 35 liver biopsies from patients with AH lesions of different severities. The specificity of TUNEL labelling for apoptosis was monitored both by morphology and fractin (a caspase actin cleavage site) immunostaining. RESULTS: The hepatocyte apoptotic index ranged from 0.3 to 28% and was related to the severity of alcoholic hepatitis as measured by the Maddrey score (P < 0.05; Mann-Whitney test) while ballooning (which reflects hepatocytes potentially undergoing necrosis) and neutrophil indexes were not. CONCLUSIONS: This suggests that hepatocyte apoptosis could be a therapeutic target to treat or to prevent alcoholic hepatitis in cirrhotic patients. Co-localization of apoptotic hepatocytes with neutrophils and the strong quantitative correlation would suggest an apoptosis dependent transmigration of neutrophils.

Synthesis and antigenic properties of reduced peptide bond analogues of an immunodominant epitope of the melanoma MART-1 protein.

Backbone modifications have been introduced into the melanoma derived peptide MART-1(27-35) to increase its binding to class I major histocompatibility complex HLA-A2 molecule, and ultimately to enhance its immunogenicity. Each analogue was obtained by replacing one peptide bond at a time in the natural epitope by the aminomethylene (CH2-NH) surrogate. All analogues displayed an increased resistance to proteolysis. Interestingly, the comparative results showed that five analogues bound more efficiently to HLA-A2 than the parent peptide. On the other hand, two pseudopeptide/HLA-A2 complexes were recognized by one melanoma-specific T cell clone. Close examination of the impact of such modifications at the molecular level provides useful supports for the rational design of stable compounds with applications in anti-tumour specific immunotherapy and in vaccine development.

DNA vaccination of macaques with several different Nef sequences induces multispecific T cell responses.

CD8(+) T lymphocytes play a key role in controlling viremia during primary human immunodeficiency virus-1 and in maintaining disease-free infection. It has recently been shown that DNA immunization of rhesus monkeys can elicit strong, long-lived antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. In previous work, it was shown that macaque CTL responses to lipopeptide vaccination were directed against a limited number of epitopes. In the present study, we used the DNA immunization approach to enlarge T cell responses to several epitopes and to multiple isolates. We immunized macaques with a mixture of six plasmids reflecting the variability of Nef epitopic regions in the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) mac251 primary isolate. The Nef genes from viruses included in the SIVmac251 primary isolate were sequenced and the six selected sequences were individually subcloned into the pCI vector, under cytomegalovirus enhancer/promoter control, and injected into macaques. We show that DNA immunization with Nef sequences induced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) secreting cell responses directed against several regions of Nef. Reacting T cell lines were expanded in vitro and multispecific CTL responses mapping the 96-138 Nef region were analyzed. Several peptides recognized by CTL were identified and studies using peptides reflecting the variability of Nef indicated that all of the Nef variants were recognized in the 96-138 region. Moreover, CTL responses were directed against an immunodominant epitope located in a functional region within the Nef protein that is essential for viral replication. This work shows that our approach of DNA immunization with several sequences induced multispecific T cell responses recognizing variants included in the SIVmac251 primary isolate.

Direct evidence to support the role of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells in melanoma-associated vitiligo.

Vitiligo is a cutaneous pigmentary disorder characterized by the loss of melanocytes. An autoimmune mechanism is strongly suspected to be involved in this affection given that it is frequently associated with autoimmune hormonal disorders, and because antibodies directed against melanocytic antigens are found in the serum of patients with vitiligo. We examined the role of cellular immunity in melanoma-associated vitiligo by expanding infiltrating lymphocytes from fresh biopsy specimens of vitiligo patches in melanoma patients. The vitiligo-infiltrating lymphocytes were almost exclusively T lymphocytes, and most were CD8(+). Following in vitro expansion, vitiligo-infiltrating lymphocytes remained predominantly CD8(+) and expressed the cutaneous homing receptor CLA. Furthermore, vitiligo-infiltrating lymphocytes had a clonal or oligoclonal T cell receptor profile, possibly reflecting specific antigenic stimulation. Finally, vitiligo- infiltrating lymphocytes specifically recognized differentiation antigens shared by normal melanocytes and melanoma cells. This direct demonstration of CD8(+) T cell involvement in vitiligo suggests that, in melanoma patients, vitiligo may be a visible effect of a spontaneous antitumoral immune response.

Temporal loss of Nef-epitope CTL recognition following macaque lipopeptide immunization and SIV challenge.

To address the subtle interactions between antiviral cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) immune responses and the evolution of viral quasispecies variants in vivo, we performed a longitudinal study in a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaque that had a long experimental SIV infection before developing simian AIDS. Before being infected with SIV, this animal was immunized with a mixture of seven lipopeptides derived from SIV Nef and Gag proteins and showed a bispecific antiviral CTL response directed toward Nef 169-178 and 211-225 peptides. After SIV infection, CTL activity against the Nef 169-178 epitope was no longer detectable, as assessed from peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated by autologous SIV. CTL activity against the 211-225 epitope was lost after 3 months, and an additional CTL response to the amino acids 112-119 Nef epitope emerged. Analysis of the Nef proviral sequence revealed the presence of immune escape variants first in the 211-225 epitope and much later in the 112-119 epitope. In contrast, epitope 169-178 showed only two mutations among all viral sequencing performed. We conclude that in this macaque, bispecific CTL exerted a strong selective pressure and escape virus mutants finally emerged. We identified CTL recognizing a conserved Nef epitope 112-119 (SYKLAIDM), essential for viral replication, which could be associated with a prolonged AIDS-free period. These results stress the importance of the induction of broader multispecific CTLs directed against highly conserved and functional T-cell epitopes by vaccination, with the aim of keeping HIV infection in check.

Endocytosis of an HIV-derived lipopeptide into human dendritic cells followed by class I-restricted CD8(+) T lymphocyte activation.

CD8(+) T lymphocytes, which are major immune effectors, require primary stimulation by dendritic cells (DC) presenting MHC class I molecule-bound epitopes. Sensitization to exogenous protein epitopes that are not synthesized in DC, such as cross-priming, is obtained through pathways leading to their association with MHC class I. To follow class I-restricted pathways in human DC, we have tracked a lipopeptide derived from the conserved HLA-A*0201-restricted HIV-1 reverse transcriptase 476-484 epitope, by N-terminal addition of an Nepsilon-palmytoyl-lysine. Indeed, lipopeptides elicit cytotoxic responses from CD8(+) T lymphocytes, whereas peptides without a lipid moiety do not. The lipopeptide and its parent peptide were labeled unequivocally by rhodamine to study their entry into immature monocyte-derived human DC by confocal microscopy. The lipid moiety induced endocytosis of the lipopeptide, assessed by rapid entry into vesicles, colocalization with Dextran-FITC and dependence on energy. Internalization occurred even when actin filaments were depolymerized by Cytochalasin B. This internalization induced functional stimulation of specific CD8(+) T lymphocytes in IFN-gamma ELISPOT assays. The peptide alone was not visualized inside the DC and was presented through direct surface association to HLA-A*0201. Therefore, lipopeptides are a unique opportunity to define precisely the pathways that lead exogenous proteins to associate with MHC class I molecules in DC. The results will also be useful to design lipopeptide vaccines.

Melanoma peptide MART-1(27-35) analogues with enhanced binding capacity to the human class I histocompatibility molecule HLA-A2 by introduction of a beta-amino acid residue: implications for recognition by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

The design of heteroclytic antigens with high MHC binding capacity is of particular interest to overcome the weak immunogenicity of peptide epitopes derived from tissue antigens expressed by tumors. In the present study, double-substituted peptide analogues of the tumor-associated antigen MART-1(27-35) incorporating a substitution at a primary anchor residue and a beta-amino acid residue at different positions in the sequence were synthesized and evaluated for binding to the human histocompatibility class I molecule HLA-A2 and for recognition by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Interestingly, by combining a Leu for Ala substitution at P2 (which alone is deleterious for antigenic activity) with a beta-amino acid substitution at a putative TCR contact residue, recognition by tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes was partially restored. The analogue [Leu(28),beta-HIle(30)]MART-1(27-35) displays both a higher affinity to HLA-A2 and a more prolonged complex stability compared to [Leu(28)]MART-1(27-35). Overall, these results suggest that double-substitution strategies and beta-amino acid replacements at putative TCR contact residues might prove useful for the design of epitope mimics with high MHC binding capacity.

Longitudinal follow-up of cellular and humoral immunity induced by recombinant adenovirus-mediated gene therapy in cancer patients.

Replication-defective adenoviruses are arousing growing interest as both gene therapy and vaccine vectors. In a phase I clinical trial designed to evaluate the feasibility and tolerance of recombinant adenovirus (rAd)mediated gene transfer, we previously demonstrated that a single intratumoral injection of 10(9) PFU of rAd encoding the beta-galactosidase protein (Ad-beta-Gal) induced strong short-term (1-3 months) humoral, helper (Th1 type) and cytotoxic T cell responses specific for the transgene product in patients with advanced lung cancer. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the persistence of long-lasting immunity to the transgene protein and in parallel, to assess patient immunocompetence revealed by responses to recall antigens (tetanus toxoid, purified protein derivative), viral pathogens (Epstein-Barr virus, influenza virus), and allogeneic antigens in mixed lymphocytic reactions. The beta-Gal-specific proliferative response declined rapidly in patients with progressive disease, as did responses to the other antigens. In contrast, a long-lasting proliferative response to beta-gal was maintained in an immunocompetent patient in complete remission 2 years after an injection of 108 PFU of Ad-beta-Gal. Anti-beta-Gal humoral (IgG and IgA) responses persisted notably, as did responses to TT and poliomyelytic antigens. While T cell effector cytotoxic responses specific for the viral peptides plummeted, the frequency of anti-beta-Gal CTL precursors remained particularly high, thus attesting to major immunization. Despite the impact of both advanced disease and chemotherapy on immunocompetence, we show the long-term persistence of immunity to the transgene protein vectorized by rAd.

Identification in humans of HPV-16 E6 and E7 protein epitopes recognized by cytolytic T lymphocytes in association with HLA-B18 and determination of the HLA-B18-specific binding motif.

Human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV-16) is the HPV most frequently associated with cervical carcinoma in humans. For the prevention or treatment of cervical carcinoma, the E6 and E7 oncoproteins appear to be good targets for vaccine-induced cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Lipopeptide vaccination is an efficient way of stimulating cellular responses. However, to synthesize effective lipopeptides, it is necessary to define which epitopes are immunogenic. In this study we first determined that peptide 80 - 88 of the E6 protein was recognized by CTL from a healthy donor in association with the HLA-B18 molecule. We then defined the HLA-B18 anchoring peptide motif by testing the binding of various short peptides with the HLA-B18 molecule and showed that it was related to the HLA-A1-specific peptide motif. Furthermore, in analyzing the potential E7 epitopes susceptible to associating with HLA-B18, we demonstrated that peptide E7 44 - 52 gave the strongest binding. It could also be recognized by CTL from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of the same healthy donor. Finally, with PBMC from a patient with a cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3, we found CTL which recognized the E6 80 - 88 epitope. We have hence identified two peptides encoded by the E6 and E7 proteins which are presented by the HLA-B18 molecule and could be included in a vaccine against HPV-16.

Immune response to recombinant adenovirus in humans: capsid components from viral input are targets for vector-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

We previously demonstrated that a single injection of 10(9) PFU of recombinant adenovirus into patients induces strong vector-specific immune responses (H. Gahéry-Ségard, V. Molinier-Frenkel, C. Le Boulaire, P. Saulnier, P. Opolon, R. Lengagne, E. Gautier, A. Le Cesne, L. Zitvogel, A. Venet, C. Schatz, M. Courtney, T. Le Chevalier, T. Tursz, J.-G. Guillet, and F. Farace, J. Clin. Investig. 100:2218-2226, 1997). In the present study we analyzed the mechanism of vector recognition by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). CD8(+) CTL lines were derived from two patients and maintained in long-term cultures. Target cell infections with E1-deleted and E1-plus E2-deleted adenoviruses, as well as transcription-blocking experiments with actinomycin D, revealed that host T-cell recognition did not require viral gene transcription. Target cells treated with brefeldin A were not lysed, indicating that viral input protein-derived peptides are associated with HLA class I molecules. Using recombinant capsid component-loaded targets, we observed that the three major proteins could be recognized. These results raise the question of the use of multideleted adenoviruses for gene therapy in the quest to diminish antivector CTL responses.

Multiepitopic B- and T-cell responses induced in humans by a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 lipopeptide vaccine.

We have attempted to develop an anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) lipopeptide vaccine with several HIV-specific long peptides modified by C-terminal addition of a single palmitoyl chain. A mixture of six lipopeptides derived from regulatory or structural HIV-1 proteins (Nef, Gag, and Env) was prepared. A phase I study was conducted to evaluate immunogenicity and tolerance in lipopeptide vaccination of HIV-1-seronegative volunteers given three injections of either 100, 250, or 500 microg of each lipopeptide, with or without immunoadjuvant (QS21). This report analyzes in detail B- and T-cell responses induced by vaccination. The lipopeptide vaccine elicited strong and multiepitopic B- and T-cell responses. Vaccinated subjects produced specific immunoglobulin G antibodies that recognized the Nef and Gag proteins. After the third injection, helper CD4(+)-T-cell responses as well as specific cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells were also obtained. These CD8(+) T cells were able to recognize naturally processed viral proteins. Finally, specific gamma interferon-secreting CD8(+) T cells were also detected ex vivo.