Lytic and latent antigens of the human gammaherpesviruses Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Epstein-Barr virus induce T-cell responses with similar functional properties and memory phenotypes

J Virol. 2007 May;81(9):4904-8. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02509-06. Epub 2007 Feb 28.

Abstract

The cellular immunity against Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is poorly characterized and has not been compared to T-cell responses against other human herpesviruses. Here, novel and dominant targets of KSHV-specific cellular immunity are identified and compared to T cells specific for lytic and latent antigens in a second human gammaherpesvirus, Epstein-Barr virus. The data identify a novel HLA-B57- and HLA-B58-restricted epitope in the Orf57 protein and show consistently close parallels in immune phenotypes and functional response patterns between cells targeting lytic or latent KSHV- and EBV-encoded antigens, suggesting common mechanisms in the induction of these responses.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antigens, Viral / immunology*
  • Epitopes / genetics
  • Herpesvirus 4, Human / immunology*
  • Herpesvirus 8, Human / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Cellular / immunology*
  • Immunologic Memory / immunology
  • Immunophenotyping
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes / virology
  • Viral Proteins / genetics

Substances

  • Antigens, Viral
  • Epitopes
  • Viral Proteins