A MHC class I B locus allele-restricted simian immunodeficiency virus envelope CTL epitope in rhesus monkeys

In light of the importance of virus-specific CTL in the control of the spread of the AIDS virus, it will be important to assess the generation of these effector cell responses in trials of novel vaccine strategies for the prevention of AIDS virus infections. To facilitate such studies in the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)/macaque model for AIDS, we have defined a rhesus monkey SIVmac CTL epitope carboxy terminus to both the CD4-binding and V4 regions of the envelope glycoprotein. We also used one-dimensional isoelectric focusing to characterize the MHC class I molecule of the rhesus monkey that binds this 9-amino-acid SIVmac envelope fragment. Cloning and sequencing of the cDNA encoding this rhesus monkey MHC class I molecule demonstrated that it is a newly described HLA-B homologue, Mamu-B*01. The definition of this viral CTL epitope and its restricting MHC class I molecule will facilitate the use of the SIVmac/rhesus monkey model for studies of envelope-based vaccine strategies for the prevention of AIDS.