Abacavir inhibits but does not cause self-reactivity to HLA-B*57:01-restricted EBV specific T cell receptors

Sooda, A., Rwandamuriye, F., Wanjalla, C.N., Jing, L., Koelle, D.M., Peters, B., Leary, S., Chopra, A., Calderwood, M.A., Mallal, S.A., Pavlos, R., Watson, M.ORCID: 0000-0002-6438-9225, Phillips, E.J. and Redwood, A.J. (2022) Abacavir inhibits but does not cause self-reactivity to HLA-B*57:01-restricted EBV specific T cell receptors. Communications Biology, 5 (1). Art. 133.

Abstract

Pre-existing pathogen-specific memory T cell responses can contribute to multiple adverse outcomes including autoimmunity and drug hypersensitivity. How the specificity of the T cell receptor (TCR) is subverted or seconded in many of these diseases remains unclear. Here, we apply abacavir hypersensitivity (AHS) as a model to address this question because the disease is linked to memory T cell responses and the HLA risk allele, HLA-B*57:01, and the initiating insult, abacavir, are known. To investigate the role of pathogen-specific TCR specificity in mediating AHS we performed a genome-wide screen for HLA-B*57:01 restricted T cell responses to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), one of the most prevalent human pathogens. T cell epitope mapping revealed HLA-B*57:01 restricted responses to 17 EBV open reading frames and identified an epitope encoded by EBNA3C. Using these data, we cloned the dominant TCR for EBNA3C and a previously defined epitope within EBNA3B. TCR specificity to each epitope was confirmed, however, cloned TCRs did not cross-react with abacavir plus self-peptide. Nevertheless, abacavir inhibited TCR interactions with their cognate ligands, demonstrating that TCR specificity may be subverted by a drug molecule. These results provide an experimental road map for future studies addressing the heterologous immune responses of TCRs including T cell mediated adverse drug reactions.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases
Publisher:	Nature Research
Copyright:	© 2022 The Authors.
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/64045

Item Control Page

Downloads