<> "The repository administrator has not yet configured an RDF license."^^ . <> . . . "Antigenic oscillations and shifting immunodominance in HIV-1 infections"^^ . "Atypical protein antigen contains several epitopes that can be recognized by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), but in a characteristic antiviral immune response in vivo, CTL recognize only a small number of these potential epitopes, sometimes only one, this phenomenon is known as immunodominance. Antigenic variation within CTL epitopes has been demonstrated for the human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1 and other viruses and such 'antigenic escape' may be responsible for viral persistence. Here we develop a new mathematical model that deals with the interaction between CTL and multiple epitopes of a genetically variable pathogen, and show that the nonlinear competition among CTL responses against different epitopes can explain immunodominance. This model suggests that an antigenically homogeneous pathogen population tends to induce a dominant response against a single epitope, whereas a heterogeneous pathogen population can stimulate complicated fluctuating responses against multiple epitopes. Antigenic variation in the immunodominant epitope can shift responses to weaker epitopes and thereby reduce immuno-logical control of the pathogen population. These ideas are consistent with detailed longitudinal studies of CTL responses in HIV-1 infected patients. For vaccine design, the model suggests that the major response should be directed against conserved epitopes even if they are subdominant."^^ . "1995-06" . . "375" . "6532" . . "Nature Publishing Group"^^ . . . "Nature"^^ . . . "00280836" . . . . . . . . . . . . . "R.M."^^ . "May"^^ . "R.M. May"^^ . . "M.A."^^ . "Nowak"^^ . "M.A. Nowak"^^ . . "K."^^ . "Sigmund"^^ . "K. Sigmund"^^ . . . . . "HTML Summary of #4236 \n\nAntigenic oscillations and shifting immunodominance in HIV-1 infections\n\n" . "text/html" . .