title: Early gene m18, a novel player in the immune response to murine cytomegalovirus.
abstract: The identification of all antigenic peptides encoded by a pathogen, its T cell 'immunome', is a research aim for rational vaccine design. Screening of proteome-spanning peptide libraries or computational prediction is used to identify antigenic peptides recognized by CD8 T cells. Based on their high coding capacity, cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) could specify numerous antigenic peptides. Yet, current evidence indicates that the memory CD8 T cell response in a given haplotype is actually focused on a few viral proteins. CMVs actively interfere with antigen processing and presentation by the expression of immune evasion proteins. In the case of murine CMV (mCMV), these proteins are effectual in the early (E) phase of the virus replication cycle and should thus preclude the presentation of peptides derived from E proteins. Notably, the m18 gene is here added to a growing list of mCMV E genes that encode antigenic peptides in spite of the E phase immune evasion strategies of the virus.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Hochhaus am Augustusplatz, 55101 Mainz, Germany1.
authors.forename: Rafaela
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holtappels
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Hochhaus am Augustusplatz, 55101 Mainz, Germany1.
authors.forename: Natascha K A
authors.initials: NKA
authors.lastname: Grzimek
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Hochhaus am Augustusplatz, 55101 Mainz, Germany1.
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, Johannes Gutenberg University, Hochhaus am Augustusplatz, 55101 Mainz, Germany1.
authors.forename: Matthias J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Reddehase
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005347:Fibroblasts; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D010455:Peptides; C044582:immediate-early proteins, cytomegalovirus