Analysis of the cytolytic T-lymphocyte response to herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein B during primary and secondary infection.
The immune response to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in C57BL/6 mice includes a population of major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) that recognize the structural glycoprotein gB. To gain insight into the importance of this CTL subpopulation in vivo, gB-specific CTL present in the regional lymph nodes after a primary infection and after a reinfection of convalescent animals were analyzed. In a primary infection, gB-specific CTL precursors (CTLp) that recognized either a cell line constitutively expressing gB or cells pulsed with the optimal Kb-restricted gB epitope 498SSIEFARL505 were present at an estimated frequency of 1/12,000 compared with a frequency of 1/3,000 for CTLp which recognized cells infected with HSV-1 itself. In convalescent mice responding to reinfection, HSV-specific CTLp were present at an estimated frequency of 1/4,000 to 1/14,000. However, gB-specific CTLp could not be detected at this site. These findings suggest that CTL specific for an immunodominant epitope contribute substantially to the primary response but may not be a component of the HSV-specific CTL population that responds rapidly to reinfection in vivo.
Nugent
C T
CT
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, Shreveport 71130.
Wolcott
R M
RM
Chervenak
R
R
Jennings
S R
SR
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000276:immunology*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C040495:glycoprotein B, Simplexvirus