Abstract: Objective To screen and identify the predicted epitopes of synthesized predicted HLA-A2-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) derived from HPV16 E7 antigen. Methods The predicted epitopes of HLA-A2-restricted CTLs derived from HPV16 E7 antigen were synthesized and purified with Standard Fmoc assays, and the standard ⁵¹Cr release assay was used to determine their activities to induce specific CTL. Results Two epitopes of HLA-A2-restricted CTLs, namely E711-19 (YMLDLQPET) and E7_49-57 (RAHYNIVTF) derived from HPV16 E7 antigen were identified. Conclusion E711-19 (YMLDLQPET) and E7_49-57 (RAHYNIVTF) have antigenicity, and may be the candidates for development of peptide vaccine in the treatment of HPV infections.

Key words: Epitopes, T-lymphocyte, E7 antigen, Papillomavirus, human