Cytotoxic T cell recognition of the influenza nucleoprotein and hemagglutinin expressed in transfected mouse L cells.

Journal article

L cells expressing either the A/NT/60/68 nucleoprotein or the A/PR/8/34 (H1) hemagglutinin by DNA mediated gene transfer were used to investigate recognition by influenza A specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). A subpopulation of CTL that recognized the H1 hemagglutinin was detected in mice primed with either A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) or A/JAP/305/57 (H2N2) influenza viruses. However, neither CTL from mice primed with A/NT/60/68 (H3N2) nor the recombinant virus X31 (H3N2) showed any activity on L cells expressing H1. These results showed that the majority of fully crossreactive CTL do not recognize the hemagglutinin molecule. A comparison between nucleoprotein and hemagglutinin transfected L cells reveals the nucleoprotein as the major target for CTL that are crossreactive on the three pandemic strains of human influenza A virus.

Authors: Townsend, A; Mcmichael, A; Carter, N; Huddleston, J; Brownlee, G

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Cell
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 13-25
• Publication date: 1984-11-01
• DOI: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90187-9
• EISSN: 1097-4172
• ISSN: 0092-8674
• Language: English
• Keywords: DNA; Animals; Plasmids; Influenza A virus; DNA Restriction Enzymes; Cells, Cultured; Mice, Inbred Strains; L Cells (Cell Line); Transfection; Viral Proteins; Mice; Viral Envelope Proteins; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic; Female; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Transcription, Genetic; Viral Matrix Proteins; Simian virus 40