Short Communication: HIV-1 Nef Protein Carries Multiple Epitopes Suitable for Induction of Cellular Immunity for an HIV Vaccine in Africa

作者：Kilpelainen Athina; Robertson Rebecca Axelsson; Leitner Thomas; Sandstrom Eric; Maeurer Markus; Wahren Britta^*

来源：AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, 2014, 30(11): 1065-1071.

DOI：10.1089/aid.2013.0299

Using the early protein HIV Nef, new HLA class I binding epitopes of importance for immune responses to HIV were predicted for common African alleles. In total we identified 45 epitopes previously not described for the HLA alleles A*30:01, A*30:02, B*58:01, and C*07:01 and compared them to reported epitopes, primarily from HLA-A*02:01, from the Los Alamos database and our own vaccine studies. Related to its small size, the Nef gene/protein appears to be able to contribute effectively to confer both stronger and broader cellular immunogenicity to an HIV-1 vaccine. We also propose feasible mutations of such an additional vaccine antigen to preserve its immunogenicity, modified not to confer HLA or CD4(+) down-regulating activities. This article includes data on a valuable HIV immunogenic component for a vaccine in Africa.

• 出版日期2014-11-1
• 单位Los Alamos; 中国空间技术研究院