In:
Journal of Virology, American Society for Microbiology, Vol. 74, No. 17 ( 2000-09), p. 8140-8150
Abstract:
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is largely asymptomatic in the immunocompetent host, but remains a major cause of morbidity in immunosuppressed individuals. Using the recently described technique of staining antigen-specific CD8 + T cells with peptide-HLA tetrameric complexes, we have demonstrated high levels of antigen-specific cells specific for HCMV peptides and show that this may exceed 4% of CD8 + T cells in immunocompetent donors. Moreover, by staining with tetramers in combination with antibodies to cell surface markers and intracellular cytokines, we demonstrate functional heterogeneity of HCMV-specific populations. A substantial proportion of these are effector cytotoxic T lymphocytes, as demonstrated by their ability to lyse peptide-pulsed targets in “fresh” killing assays. These data suggest that the immune response to HCMV is periodically boosted by a low level of HCMV replication and that sustained immunological surveillance contributes to the maintenance of host-pathogen homeostasis. These observations should improve our understanding of the immunobiology of persistent viral infection.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0022-538X
,
1098-5514
DOI:
10.1128/JVI.74.17.8140-8150.2000
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Society for Microbiology
Publication Date:
2000
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1495529-5
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