RAPID COMMUNICATION Development of a Candidate HLA A*0201 Restricted Peptide-Based Vaccine Against Human Cytomegalovirus Infection

The development of a protective cellular immune response line for lysis. In vitro immunization of PBMC from HLA A*0201 and HCMV seropositive volunteers using the defined against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most important determinant of recovery from HCMV infection after nonamer peptide stimulated significant recognition of HCMV infected or peptide-sensitized fibroblasts. Similarly, allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The ultimate aim of our study is to develop an antigen-specific and pepHLA A*0201 transgenic mice immunized with the nonamer peptide developed CTL that recognize both the immunizing tide-based vaccine strategy against HCMV in the setting of BMT. Toward this end we have studied the cellular immune peptide and endogenously processed pp65 in an HLA A*0201 restricted manner. Lipid modification of the amino terminus response against the immunodominant matrix protein pp65 of HCMV. Using an HLA A*0201-restricted T-cell clone reacof the nonamer peptide resulted in its ability to stimulate immune respones without the use of adjuvant. This demontive against pp65 from peripheral blood from a seropositive individual, we have mapped the position of the cytolytic T stration of a vaccine function of the nonamer peptide without adjuvant suggests its potential for use in an immunizalymphocyte (CTL) epitope from HCMV pp65 to an 84-amino acid segment. Of the four peptides which best fit the HLA tion trial of BMT donors to induce protective CTLs in patients undergoing allogeneic BMT. A*0201 motif in that region, one nonamer sensitized an autologous Epstein-Barr virus immortalized lymphocyte cell q 1997 by The American Society of Hematology.