Induction of T cell responses to the invariant chain derived peptide CLIP in mice immunized with the group 1 allergen of house dust mite.

In this study we demonstrate that immunization of H-2(b) mice with the allergen Der p 1 induces MHC class II restricted T cells that proliferate to residues 15-29 of Der p 1 (p15-29) and to the murine MHC class II-associated invariant chain derived peptide (CLIP). T cells from naive H-2(b) mice and those immunized with murine CLIP fail to respond to either CLIP or p15-29. T cell lines and clones reactive with p15-29 strongly proliferate in response to splenic antigen-presenting cells (APC) from normal H-2(b) mice but show reduced proliferation to APC from invariant chain deficient mice. Furthermore, T cells isolated from Der p 1 primed mice and expanded on H-2(b) spleen cells in the absence of the p15-29 epitope retained specificity for both p15-29 and CLIP, suggesting that naturally presented self components can act as mimetic peptides and may maintain T cell memory to foreign antigens.