Overlapping T cell antigenic sites on a synthetic peptide fragment from herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D, the degenerate MHC restriction elicited, and functional evidence for antigen-Ia interaction.

Analysis of the B10.A T cell response to synthetic peptides representing the NH2-terminal 23 amino acids from the HSV glycoprotein D sequence revealed two antigenic determinants for T cells: one localized between residues 1-16 and the other between residues 8-23. The 1-16 site, which is helical, was recognized in the context of the Ia molecule, whereas the 8-23 site, which is nonhelical, was recognized in the context of the I-E molecule. The I-E-restricted response was found to be highly MHC degenerate in that T cell hybridomas specific for the 8-23 peptide responded to antigen on APCs derived from B10.A, B10.A(5R), and B10.A(9R) mice and showed differences in antigenic fine specificity with APCs of different haplotypes. These data support the idea of antigen-Ia interaction.