Selection of HLA-B57-associated Gag A146P mutant by HLA-B∗48:01-restricted Gag140-147-specific CTLs in chronically HIV-1-infected Japanese

We previously showed the possibility that Gag A146P, which is an escape mutant from HLA-B∗57-restricted CTLs, was selected by HLA-B∗48:01-restricted Gag138–147(LI10)-specific CTLs in a Japanese cohort in which HLA-B∗57 individuals were not detected. We herein demonstrated Gag140–147(GI8) to be the optimal epitope rather than LI10 and that GI8-specific T cells failed to recognize the A146P mutant virus-infected cells. The sequence analysis of Gag146 in 261 chronically HIV-1-infected Japanese showed the accumulation of the A146P mutation in HLA-B∗48:01+ individuals. These findings together indicate that the A146P mutant is accumulating in Japanese by selection by GI8-specific CTLs.