Minimal T-cell-stimulatory sequences and spectrum of HLA restriction of immunodominant CD4+ T-cell epitopes within hepatitis C virus NS3 and NS4 proteins

The hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific CD4(+) T-cell response against nonstructural proteins is strongly associated with successful viral clearance during acute hepatitis C. To further develop these observations into peptide-based vaccines and clinical immunomonitoring tools like HLA class II tetramers, a detailed characterization of immunodominant CD4(+) T-cell epitopes is required. We studied peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 20 patients with acute hepatitis C using 83 overlapping 20-mer peptides covering the NS3 helicase and NS4. Eight peptides were recognized by >= 40% of patients, and specific CD4(+) T-cell clones were obtained for seven of these and three additional, subdominant epitopes. Mapping of minimal stimulatory sequences defined epitopes of 8 to 13 amino acids in length, but optimal T-cell stimulation was observed with 10- to 15-mers. While some epitopes were presented by different HLA molecules, others were presented by only a single HLA class If molecule, which has implications for patient selection in clinical trials of peptide-based immunotherapies. In conclusion, using two different approaches we identified and characterized a set of CD4(+) T-cell epitopes in the HCV NS3-NS4 region which are immunodominant in patients achieving transient or persistent viral control. This information allows the construction of a valuable panel of HCV-specific HLA class II tetramers for further study of CD4(+) T-cell responses in chronic hepatitis C. The finding of immunodominant epitopes with very constrained HLA restriction has implications for patient selection in clinical trials of peptide-based immunotherapies.