title: Evasion of cytotoxic T lymphocytes by murine cytomegalovirus.
abstract: Murine cytomegalovirus causes lifelong infections with little pathology in normal host animals. Control of viral replication and prevention of pathology depend on both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms, and cytolytic T lymphocytes play a key role in this process. The virus encodes a number of genes which alter the normal assembly of class I major histocompatability complex proteins, and thus interfere with the ability of infected cells to present antigen to CD8(+)T cells. This review will examine what is known about these viral genes, and present some unanswered questions regarding the role of CTL evasion in the viral infectious cycle.
authors: Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201-3098, USA.
authors: D G
authors: DG
authors: Kavanagh
authors: A B
authors: AB
authors: Hill
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D051379:Mice; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*