Antigen bias in T cell cross-priming

Activated CD8(+) T cells detect virally infected cells and tumor cells by recognition of major histocompatibility complex class I-bound peptides derived from degraded, endogenously produced proteins. In contrast, CD8(+) T cell activation often occurs through interaction with specialized antigen-presenting cells displaying peptides acquired from an exogenous cellular source, a process termed cross-priming. Here, we observed a marked inefficiency in exogenous presentation of epitopes derived from signal sequences in mouse models. These data indicate that certain virus- and tumor-associated antigens may not be detected by CD8(+) T cells because of impaired cross-priming. Such differences in the ability to cross-present antigens should form important considerations in vaccine design.