Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognize and target Darwinian positively selected autologous K1 epitopes.

ABSTRACT: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the infectious cause of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and certain lymphoproliferations particularly in the context of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1-induced immunosuppression. The introduction of effective therapies to treat HIV has led to a decline in the incidence of KS, suggesting that immune responses may play a role in controlling KSHV infection and pathogenesis. Cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity against KSHV proteins has been demonstrated; however, the identification of KSHV CTL epitopes remains elusive and problematic. Although the herpesvirus genomic layout is generally conserved, KSHV encodes a unique hypervariable protein, K1, with intense biological selection pressure at specific amino acid sites. To investigate whether th

SUBMITTER: Stebbing J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC150628 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature