New lane in the information highway: alternative reading frame peptides elicit T cells with potent antiretrovirus activity

CD8⁺ T cells rapidly recognize virus-infected cells due to the generation of antigenic peptides from defective ribosomal products (DRiPs) that are encoded by standard open reading frames (ORFs). New data now show that alternative reading frame (ARF) DRiPs can also induce robust CD8⁺ T cell responses. ARF-specific T cells control retroviral replication and select for viral escape in monkeys, providing the most compelling evidence to date for the biological relevance of ARF immunosurveillance.