Use of "one-pot, mix-and-read" peptide-MHC class I tetramers and predictive algorithms to improve detection of cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in cattle

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Nicholas Svitek
  • Andreas Martin Hansen
  • Lucilla Steinaa
  • Rosemary Saya
  • Elias Awino
  • Morten Nielsen
  • Buus, Søren
  • Vishvanath Nene

Peptide-major histocompatibility complex (p-MHC) class I tetramer complexes have facilitated the early detection and functional characterisation of epitope specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Here, we report on the generation of seven recombinant bovine leukocyte antigens (BoLA) and recombinant bovine β2-microglobulin from which p-MHC class I tetramers can be derived in ~48 h. We validated a set of p-MHC class I tetramers against a panel of CTL lines specific to seven epitopes on five different antigens of Theileria parva, a protozoan pathogen causing the lethal bovine disease East Coast fever. One of the p-MHC class I tetramers was tested in ex vivo assays and we detected T. parva specific CTL in peripheral blood of cattle at day 15-17 post-immunization with a live parasite vaccine. The algorithm NetMHCpan predicted alternative epitope sequences for some of the T. parva CTL epitopes. Using an ELISA assay to measure peptide-BoLA monomer formation and p-MHC class I tetramers of new specificity, we demonstrate that a predicted alternative epitope Tp229-37 rather than the previously reported Tp227-37 epitope is the correct Tp2 epitope presented by BoLA-6*04101. We also verified the prediction by NetMHCpan that the Tp587-95 epitope reported as BoLA-T5 restricted can also be presented by BoLA-1*02301, a molecule similar in sequence to BoLA-T5. In addition, Tp587-95 specific bovine CTL were simultaneously stained by Tp5-BoLA-1*02301 and Tp5-BoLA-T5 tetramers suggesting that one T cell receptor can bind to two different BoLA MHC class I molecules presenting the Tp587-95 epitope and that these BoLA molecules fall into a single functional supertype.

Original languageEnglish
Article number50
JournalVeterinary Research
Volume45
Pages (from-to)1-16
Number of pages16
ISSN0928-4249
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

    Research areas

  • Algorithms, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Cattle, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte, Histocompatibility Antigens, Major Histocompatibility Complex, Molecular Sequence Data, Sequence Alignment, T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic, Theileria parva, beta 2-Microglobulin

ID: 136494686