title: Specific activation of CMV-primed human T lymphocytes by cytomegalovirus pp65 expressed in fission yeast.
abstract: Threatening virus infections constantly illustrate the growing need for novel vaccines that specifically induce efficient T cell-mediated immune responses. In this study, we used a human whole blood assay to determine the activation of antigen-specific human T lymphocytes by a viral antigen of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). The major HCMV tegument protein pp65, recombinantly expressed in fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe), specifically activated antigen-specific CD4- and CD8-positive memory T cells in blood of HCMV seropositive donors. Moreover, the immune response against recombinant pp65, in particular that of CD8 class I major histocompatibility complex-restricted cytotoxic T cells, was similar to the response against the intact HCMV. Since fission yeast cells per se did not activate a significant number of human T lymphocytes ex vivo, the system described here might represent a novel approach in vaccine development as well as in the identification of vaccine candidates directly from human whole blood.
authors.affiliation: Angewandte Molekularbiologie (FR 8.3 - Mikrobiologie), Universität des Saarlandes, Gebäude 2, Postfach 15 11 50, 66041 Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Breinig
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heintel
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meyerhans
authors.forename: Manfred J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Schmitt
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D010587:Phagocytosis; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D012568:Schizosaccharomyces / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C065418:cytomegalovirus matrix protein 65kDa