Short communication: HIV-1 Nef protein carries multiple epitopes suitable for induction of cellular immunity for an HIV vaccine in Africa

• Published in: AIDS research and human retroviruses Vol. 30; no. 11; p. 1065
• Main Authors: Kilpeläinen, Athina, Axelsson Robertson, Rebecca, Leitner, Thomas, Sandström, Eric, Maeurer, Markus, Wahren, Britta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.11.2014
• Subjects: Africa; AIDS Vaccines - immunology; Alleles; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte - immunology; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I - genetics; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I - immunology; HIV Infections - immunology; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - therapy; Humans; Immunity, Cellular; nef Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus - immunology; Africa
• ISSN: 1931-8405
• DOI: 10.1089/AID.2013.0299

Using the early protein HIV Nef, new HLA class I binding epitopes of importance for immune responses to HIV were predicted for common African alleles. In total we identified 45 epitopes previously not described for the HLA alleles A*30:01, A*30:02, B*58:01, and C*07:01 and compared them to reported epitopes, primarily from HLA-A*02:01, from the Los Alamos database and our own vaccine studies. Related to its small size, the Nef gene/protein appears to be able to contribute effectively to confer both stronger and broader cellular immunogenicity to an HIV-1 vaccine. We also propose feasible mutations of such an additional vaccine antigen to preserve its immunogenicity, modified not to confer HLA or CD4(+) down-regulating activities. This article includes data on a valuable HIV immunogenic component for a vaccine in Africa.