Identification of novel HLA-A*0201-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes from Zinc Transporter 8

Numerous evidences demonstrated that type 1 diabetes (T1D) is due to a loss of immune tolerance to islet antigens, and CD8⁺ T cells play an important role in the development of T1D. Zinc Transporter 8 (ZnT8) has emerged in recent years as a target of disease-associated autoreactive T cells in human T1D. However, ZnT8-associated CTL specific-peptides have not been identified. In this study, we predicted and identified HLA-A*0201-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes derived from ZnT8, and utilized it to immunize HLA-A2.1/Kb transgenic (Tg) mice. The results demonstrated that peptides of ZnT8 containing residues 107–115, 115–123 and 145–153 could elicit specific CTLs in vitro, and induce diabetes in mice. The results suggest that these specific peptides are novel HLA-A*0201-restricted CTL epitopes, and could have therapeutic potential in preventing of T1D disease.