CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2011 Mar;236(3):253-67. doi: 10.1258/ebm.2010.010278. Epub 2011 Feb 17.
Immunogenic T-cell epitopes have a central role in the cellular immunity against pathogens and tumors. However, in the early stage of cellular immunity studies, it was complicated and time-consuming to identify and characterize T-cell epitopes. Currently, the epitope screening is experiencing renewed enthusiasm due to advances in novel techniques and theories. Moreover, the application of T-cell epitope-based diagnoses for tuberculosis and new data on epitope-based vaccine development have also revived the field. There is a growing knowledge on the emphasis of epitope-stimulated T-cell immune responses in the elimination of pathogens and tumors. In this review, we outline the significance of the identification and characterization of T-cell epitopes. We also summarize the methods and strategies for epitope definition and, more importantly, address the relevance of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte epitopes to clinical diagnoses, therapy and vaccine development.
免疫原性 T 细胞表位在针对病原体和肿瘤的细胞免疫中起着核心作用。然而，在细胞免疫研究的早期，鉴定和表征 T 细胞表位既复杂又耗时。目前，由于新技术和理论的进步，表位筛选再次受到关注。此外，基于 T 细胞表位的结核病诊断的应用以及基于表位的疫苗开发的新数据也使该领域重获新生。人们越来越了解表位刺激的 T 细胞免疫反应在消除病原体和肿瘤方面的重要性。在这篇综述中，我们概述了鉴定和表征 T 细胞表位的意义。我们还总结了定义表位的方法和策略，更重要的是，探讨了细胞毒性 T 淋巴细胞表位与临床诊断、治疗和疫苗开发的相关性。
