Abstract
1 Department of Microbiology and Nutrition Research, The Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001
2 Department of Microbiology, College of Physicians & Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, New York 10032
3 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, Shreveport, Louisiana 71130-3932
4 Department Microbiology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799
and5 Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-0845, U.S.A.
Vaccinia virus recombinants expressing the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) genes encoding ICP0 or ICP4 were used to identify the precise target antigen(s) of murine anti-viral cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) specific for the non-structural immediate early proteins. These studies revealed that HSV-1-specific CTL, restricted to class I major histocompatibility complex genes of the H-2k haplotype but not the H-2d or H-2b haplotypes, would lyse autologous cells expressing ICP4. HSV-1-specific CTL derived from various mice strains failed to lyse target cells expressing ICP0. Calculation of the frequencies of H-2k-restricted virus-specific CTL demonstrated that approximately a third of the total HSV-1-specific response was directed against ICP4. Immunization of mice with either recombinant vaccinia virus or transfected L cells expressing ICP4 induced HSV-1-specific lymphoproliferation and delayed hypersensitivity but CTLs were not induced. More importantly, such immunized animals were unable to resist or control a subsequent challenge with virulent HSV-1.