Identification of T-helper epitopes in the VP1 capsid protein of poliovirus

Poliovirus-specific T lymphocytes were isolated from virus-immunized mice of different H-2 haplotypes. Immunological characterization of this population indicates that the effector population involved in the observed poliovirus-specific proliferative response was that of CD4-positive T-helper cells. Proliferative responses also were induced within these T-lymphocyte populations upon stimulation with either purified VP1 capsid protein or VP1 synthetic peptides. By using these synthetic peptides, several T-helper epitopes were identified. Generally, proliferative responses were observed in three regions of VP1. Two regions spanning VP1 residues 86 to 120 and 201 to 241 were recognized by T lymphocytes from BALB/c (H-2d), C57BL/6 (H-2b), and C3H/HeJ (H-2k) backgrounds. Analyses using synthetic peptides of nonoverlapping sequences indicated that the region spanning residues 201 to 241 may contain several T epitopes and may account for the strong proliferative response observed. In addition, for two of the three haplotypes examined, T epitopes were observed within residues 7 to 24 of VP1. Additional epitopes which appeared to be restricted to specific H-2 backgrounds were identified. T epitopes within VP1 that are common between different strains of mice appeared to lie within previously identified neutralizing antigenic sites in poliovirus.