T cell epitopes in coxsackievirus B4 structural proteins concentrate in regions conserved between enteroviruses

The present study aimed to characterize systematically the target epitopes of T cell responses in CBV4 structural proteins. These were studied by synthesizing 86 overlapping 20-aa-long peptides covering the known sequence of CBV4 structural proteins and analyzing the proliferation responses of 18 CBV4-specific T cell lines against these peptides. Recognized peptides differed depending on the HLA-DR genotype of the T cell donor. They were concentrated to the VP4 and VP2 regions as six of seven common peptide epitopes located in this region, whereas there was only one in the VP3 region and none in the VP1 region. Peptides from conserved areas were recognized more often (on average, 15% of them stimulated each T cell line) than those derived from variable areas (3%) (P < 0.0001, Fisher's exact test). Some conserved peptides inducing T cell responsiveness in most subjects were identified, a knowledge which can be useful in the development of new synthetic vaccines. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).