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Journal of Virology, March 2009, p. 2783-2788, Vol. 83, No. 6
0022-538X/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JVI.01724-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Rachel J. M. Abbott,2,
Nathan P. Croft,2
Andrew D. Hislop,2* and
Scott R. Burrows1*
Queensland Institute of Medical Research and Australian Centre for Vaccine Development, Brisbane, Australia,1 Institute for Cancer Studies, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom2
Received 13 August 2008/ Accepted 1 January 2009
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Importantly, a major factor governing the immunogenicity of EBV proteins has recently been revealed. The small EBV lytic cycle early protein BNLF2a was shown previously to block HLA class I antigen presentation by inactivating the TAP1/TAP2 peptide transporter (10). The BNLF2a protein mediates its effects by interacting with the TAP complex and inhibiting both its peptide- and ATP-binding functions. BNLF2a transcripts initially appear in the early phase of the lytic cycle, peaking 8 to 12 h after lytic cycle induction in B-cell lines (23). The majority of EBV lytic cycle transcripts are expressed in the late phase, after BNLF2a expression, at a time when the protein's effects are likely to be well-established. This pattern explains why the EBV late proteins are poorly processed and presented by lytically infected cells.
Defining a CD8+ T-cell epitope within the TAP inhibitor EBV protein BNLF2a. Following reports that BNLF2a plays a critical role in controlling the EBV-specific T-cell response, we set out to investigate the possibility that this protein includes sequences capable of stimulating T cells. Nine peptides of 20 amino acids each, overlapping by 15 residues and covering the full BNLF2a protein sequence, were pooled (with each peptide at 10 µg/ml) and used to stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from five EBV-seropositive healthy individuals. After in vitro expansion for 2 weeks with recombinant interleukin-2, the resultant T-cell lines were screened for reactivity to each of the nine peptides by using gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assays (3). Only one donor (donor B7; HLA-A2 HLA-A3 HLA-B7 HLA-B37 HLA-Cw6 HLA-Cw7) showed T-cell reactivity toward a BNLF2a peptide, with a clear response toward a peptide corresponding to BNLF2a residues 41 to 60 (the 41-60 peptide) observed (Fig. 1A).
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FIG. 1. Defining a CD8+ T-cell epitope within the TAP inhibitor EBV protein BNLF2a. (A) A T-cell line generated from the EBV-seropositive (sero+) healthy donor B7 by in vitro stimulation of PBMCs with a pool of nine overlapping peptides from BNLF2a was screened for reactivity to each of the nine peptides by a gamma interferon ELISPOT assay. a5 to h8 indicate ELISPOT plate well coordinates. (B and C) This T-cell line (B) and PBMCs (C) from donor B7 were also tested by flow cytometry for intracellular gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) expression, following incubation with the BNLF2a 41-60 peptide. Numbers in the boxes represent the percentages of gamma interferon-producing CD4+ or CD8+ lymphocytes. A phycoerythrin-conjugated anti-gamma interferon antibody, a peridinin chlorophyll-conjugated anti-CD8 antibody, and a fluorescein-conjugated anti-CD4 antibody were used.
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Characterizing the HLA restriction and minimal length of the BNLF2a epitope. To determine the HLA class I allele involved in presenting the antigenic determinant within this region of BNLF2a, the T-cell line from donor B7 was tested by flow cytometry for intracellular gamma interferon expression (21) following exposure to a variety of normal lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs; 1 to 9) that had been pretreated with the BNLF2a 41-60 peptide (10 µg/ml) and washed extensively (Fig. 2A). Significant T-cell stimulation was observed only with LCLs that shared HLA-A2 with donor B7, indicating that this HLA molecule presents the epitope. To confirm this conclusion, the mutant HLA class I-negative 721.221 cell line (20) that had been transfected to express only HLA-A2 (7) and pretreated with the BNLF2a 41-60 peptide was also shown to stimulate the T cells. In contrast, untransfected 721.221 cells that had also been pretreated with the peptide failed to stimulate the T cells (Fig. 2A).
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FIG. 2. Characterizing the HLA restriction and minimal length of the BNLF2a epitope. (A) A T-cell line from donor B7, generated by in vitro stimulation with the BNLF2a 41-60 peptide, was tested by flow cytometry for intracellular gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) expression following exposure to a variety of normal LCLs that had been pretreated with the BNLF2a 41-60 peptide and washed extensively. These LCLs shared up to three HLA alleles with donor B7, as indicated in the figure. The mutant HLA class I-negative 721.221 cell lines that had been transfected to express only HLA-A2 or left untransfected were also pretreated with the BNLF2a 41-60 peptide and used to stimulate the T cells. Data are expressed as the percentage of CD8+ cells producing gamma interferon in response to stimulation with each LCL. –, none. (B) Truncated versions of the 41-60 peptide were tested in duplicate over a wide range of concentrations by a chromium release assay for recognition by the T-cell line from donor B7. The peptide-treated target cells were a phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated T-cell line derived from an HLA-A2+ individual. The effector/target cell ratio was 5:1.
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Endogenous processing of the BNLF2a T-cell epitope is independent of TAP. To determine if this BNLF2a epitope is endogenously processed and presented by EBV-infected cells, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to detect gamma interferon production by the B7 T-cell line after exposure to various stimulator LCLs. This assay relies on the T cells' secreting gamma interferon upon the recognition of cognate antigen expressed by the small number of lymphoblastoid cells spontaneously reactivating lytic replication (16). The LCLs were from an HLA-A2+ individual and were transformed with either wild-type EBV or a recombinant strain of EBV in which the BNLF2a gene was deleted. As shown in Fig. 3A, stimulation with the normal HLA-A2+ LCL resulted in significant release of gamma interferon from the T cells while the corresponding LCL infected with the BNLF2a knockout EBV strain failed to significantly stimulate the T cells unless they were pretreated with the synthetic peptide.
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FIG. 3. Endogenous processing of the BNLF2a T-cell epitope is independent of TAP. (A) Endogenous processing and presentation of the 50VLFGLLCLL58 epitope in EBV-infected cells. Five thousand cells of the 50VLFGLLCLL58-specific T-cell line B7 were incubated for 16 h in the presence of 50,000 HLA-A2+ lymphoblastoid cells that had been transformed with either wild-type B95.8 EBV or a recombinant EBV in which the BNLF2a gene had been deleted by homologous recombination (BNLF2a-KO EBV) or in the presence of VLFGLLCLL synthetic peptide (Pep BNLF2a 50-58)-sensitized BNLF2a knockout EBV-infected LCLs as a control. Recognition of the BNLF2a epitope by the T-cell line was assessed by measuring gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) secretion. (B and C) Endogenous processing and presentation of the 50VLFGLLCLL58 epitope from recombinant vaccinia virus. The T-cell line from donor B7 was used as an effector in a cytotoxicity assay against a normal TAP+ LCL from an HLA-A2+ individual (B) or the TAP-negative cell line T2 (C). Target cells were infected with Vacc-BNLF2a or its parent TK– control virus (Vacc-TK–) at a multiplicity of infection of 10:1 for 1 h at 37°C. After overnight infection, cells were washed, incubated with 51Cr for 90 min, and used as targets in a standard 5-h 51Cr release assay. Uninfected target cells exposed to the VLFGLLCLL peptide at a final concentration of 10 µg/ml or to an equivalent concentration of dimethyl sulfoxide solvent (untreated) during 51Cr labeling served as positive and negative controls. (D and E) Endogenous processing and presentation of the TAP-dependent 407HPVGEADYFEY417 epitope from recombinant vaccinia virus. A T-cell clone specific for the EBNA1 epitope comprising residues 407 to 417 (Pep EBNA1 407-417) (21) was used as an effector in a cytotoxicity assay against a normal TAP+ LCL from an HLA-B35+ individual (D) or T2 cells that had been stably transfected with HLA-B35 (E). Target cells were infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding the EBNA1 protein without the large glycine-alanine repeat domain (Vacc-EBNA1dGA) or its parent TK– control virus, as described above. Uninfected target cells exposed to the HPVGEADYFEY peptide at a final concentration of 10 µg/ml or to an equivalent concentration of dimethyl sulfoxide solvent were also included.
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Finally, we measured the strength of the T-cell response to this epitope in PBMCs from several HLA-A2+ individuals by using a multimer of the HLA-A2-50VLFGLLCLL58 complex (ProImmune, Oxford, United Kingdom). Significant multimer staining of cells from three of four healthy EBV-seropositive individuals was observed (Fig. 4A to D), with up to 1.1% of CD8+ cells from the strongest responder showing specificity for this epitope. As expected, PBMCs from an HLA-A2+ EBV-seronegative individual showed no significant staining with the multimer (Fig. 4E). PBMCs from two HLA-A2+ patients with acute infectious mononucleosis were also included (Fig. 4F and G), and the cell sample from one showed a significant population (0.6% of CD8+ cells) of T cells specific for the BNLF2a epitope. PBMCs from the healthy individuals HD1, HD3, and HD4 were also incubated with the BNLF2a peptide (5 µg/ml) and cultured in the presence of interleukin-2 for 7 days before the repetition of the multimer staining (Fig. 4H to J). Large increases in the numbers of BNLF2a-specific T cells in the cultures of samples from HD1 and HD3 were observed.
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FIG. 4. Screening for BNLF2a-specific T cells with an HLA-A2-VLFGLLCLL multimer. (A to G) PBMCs from four EBV-seropositive healthy donors (A to D), one EBV-seronegative (–ive) healthy donor (E), and two patients with acute infectious mononucleosis (F and G) were included in the screening. (H to J) PBMCs from the healthy individuals HD1, HD3, and HD4 were incubated with the BNLF2a peptide, cultured in the presence of interleukin-2 for 7 days, and then screened for reactivity. Cells were stained with an allophycocyanin-conjugated HLA-A2-VLFGLLCLL pentamer per the instructions of the manufacturer (ProImmune, Oxford, United Kingdom). Cells were then washed and incubated with saturating amounts of anti-human CD8 antibodies before being washed and analyzed on an LSRII flow cytometer. Analysis was conducted using FlowJo software (TreeStar). Numbers in the top right corners represent the percentages of CD8+ lymphocytes that stained with the pentamer. Designations above the graphs identify the donors.
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TAP-specific inhibitors such as the BNLF2a protein of EBV have also been identified previously in the betaherpesvirus human cytomegalovirus (1, 8, 14) and in simplex viruses (6, 9) and varicelloviruses (12), both members of the alphaherpesvirus subfamily. These proteins use a variety of mechanisms to inhibit TAP function, and their existence clearly testifies to the strength of the evolutionary pressure exerted by CD8+ T cells on many herpesviruses. This report, however, highlights the limitations of this immune evasion strategy and explains why most herpesviruses target multiple points of the antigen-processing pathway for inhibition (18, 22). Although only a few lytic EBV proteins appear to be targeted by CD8+ T cells, the virus has certainly been unsuccessful in completely evading this arm of the immune system during lytic replication. Indeed, the immediate early antigens, which are expressed before BNLF2a, stimulate huge numbers of CD8+ T cells, perhaps highlighting the limited role that BNLF2a plays in immune evasion and the outcome of infection. It will now be important to determine if the few epitopes that have been mapped to the late lytic EBV antigens are also processed independently of TAP.
Published ahead of print on 7 January 2009. ![]()
M.J.B. and R.J.M.A. contributed equally to this work. ![]()
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