Abstract
αβT cell receptor (TCR) genetic diversity is outnumbered by the quantity of pathogenic epitopes to be recognized. To provide efficient protective anti-viral immunity, a single TCR ideally needs to cross-react with a multitude of pathogenic epitopes. However, the frequency, extent, and mechanisms of TCR cross-reactivity remain unclear; with conflicting results on anti-viral T cell cross-reactivity observed in humans. Namely, both the presence and lack of T cell cross-reactivity has been reported with HLA-A*02:01-restricted epitopes from the Epstein-Barr and influenza viruses (BMLF-1 and M158, respectively) or with the hepatitis C and influenza viruses (NS31073 and NA231, respectively). Given the high sequence similarity of these paired viral epitopes (56% and 88%, respectively), the ubiquitous nature of the three viruses, and the high frequency of the HLA-A*02:01 allele, we selected these epitopes to establish the extent of T cell cross-reactivity. We combined ex vivo and in vitro functional assays, single-cell αβTCR repertoire sequencing, and structural analysis of these four epitopes in complex with HLA-A*02:01 to determine if they could lead to heterologous T cell cross-reactivity. Our data show that sequence similarity does not translate to structural mimicry of the paired epitopes in complexes with HLA-A*02:01, resulting in induction of distinct αβTCR repertoires. The differences in epitope architecture might be an obstacle for TCR recognition, explaining the lack of T cell cross-reactivity observed. In conclusion, sequence similarity does not necessarily result in structural mimicry, and despite the need for cross-reactivity, antigen-specific TCR repertoires can remain highly specific.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 24335-24351 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Journal | Journal of Biological Chemistry |
Volume | 291 |
Issue number | 47 |
Early online date | 19 Sep 2016 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 18 Nov 2016 |
Keywords
- cellular immune response
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
- influenza virus
- lymphocyte
- major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
- viral immunology
- Epstein-Barr virus
- Human Leukocyte Antigen
- T cell immunity