Immunogenicity Study of a Synthetic T-Cell Epitope of Rubella Virus Capsid Protein Recognized by Human T Cells in Different Strains of Mice

The immunogenicity of a human immunodominant T-cell epitope C9 (residues 205–233) of rubella virus capsid protein was studied in three strains of mice using C9 lipopeptide. This peptide induced strong T-cell responses in all three strains of mice. The minimal T-cell epitope C9B (residues 205–216) recognized by human T cells with HLA-DR4 phenotype did not specifically stimulate proliferation of T cells from mice in vitro. T cells specific for C9 from immunized mice were shown to be CD4+, in agreement with results of similar studies in RV-seropositive humans.