Current knowledge of the processing of viral Ags into MHC class I-associate
d ligands is based almost completely on in vitro studies using nonprofessio
nal APCs (pAPCs). This is two steps removed from real immune responses to p
athogens and vaccines, in which pAPCs activate naive CD8+ T cells in vivo.
Rational vaccine design requires answers to numerous questions surrounding
the function of pAPCs in vivo, including their abilities to process and pre
sent peptides derived from endogenous and exogenous viral Ags. In the prese
nt study, we characterize the in vivo dependence of Ag presentation on the
expression of TAP by testing the immunogenicity of model Ags synthesized by
recombinant vaccinia viruses in TAP1(-/-) mice. We show that the efficienc
y of TAP-independent presentation in vitro correlates with TAP-independent
activation of naive T cells in vivo and provide the first in vivo evidence
for proteolytic processing of antigenic peptides in the secretory pathway.
There was, however, a clear exception to this correlation; although the pre
sentation of the minimal SIINFEKL determinant from chicken egg OVA in vitro
was strictly TAP dependent, it was presented in a TAP-independent manner i
n vivo. In vivo presentation of the same peptide from a fusion protein reta
ined its TAP dependence. These results show that determinant-specific proce
ssing pathways exist in vivo for the generation of antiviral T cell respons
es. We present additional findings that point to cross-priming as the likel
y mechanism for these protein-specific differences.