Th-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte chimeric epitopes extended by Nepsilon-palmitoyl lysines induce herpes simplex virus type 1-specific effector CD8+ Tc1 responses and protect against ocular infection.

Molecularly defined vaccine formulations capable of inducing antiviral CD8+ T-cell-specific immunity in a manner compatible with human delivery are limited. Few molecules achieve this target without the support of an appropriate immunological adjuvant. In this study, we investigate the potential of totally synthetic palmitoyl-tailed helper-cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte chimeric epitopes (Th-CTL chimeric lipopeptides) to induce herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-specific CD8+ T-cell responses.