The weak CD8+ CTL response to an influenza hemagglutinin epitope reflects limited T cell availability

One of the two class I MHC (H-2Kd)-restricted immunogenic regions identified on the influenza virus strain A/Japan/57 (H2N2) hemagglutinin (HA) encompasses two distinct, partially overlapping epitopes. These epitopes map to residues 204 to 212 (JHA 204-212) and 210 to 219 (JHA 210-219), respectively. When we investigated the magnitude of the CTL responses of H-2d BALB/c mice to these two epitopes, we found that the JHA 204-212 nonamer epitope is immunodominant, eliciting vigorous CTL responses in BALB/c mice immunized with A/Japan/57 virus. In contrast, the CTL response to the JHA 210-219 decamer epitope was weak and variable. The subdominance of the JHA 210-219 was not due to low affinity binding of JHA 210-219 to H-2Kd or to inefficient processing of this epitope in vivo. Rather, an analysis of CTL precursor (pCTL) frequency by limiting dilution showed that the frequency of pCTL to the JHA 210-219 epitope was at least 10-fold lower than the frequency of pCTL to the JHA 204-212 epitope, implying that the low and variable response to the JHA 210-219 epitope was due to a limited number of CD8+ T cell precursors directed to JHA 210-219. This hypothesis was further supported by the finding of limited heterogeneity in reactivity pattern displayed by short term bulk cultures of the JHA 210-219-specific CTLs for cross-reactive epitopes. Implications of these findings for vaccine design and for T lymphocyte function and repertoire development are discussed.