(1) Neuroimmunology Branch, National Institute of Neurological, Communicative Disorders, and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Building 36. Room 5D-14, 20205 Bethesda, Maryland
Abstract:
The human major histocompatibility complex (HLA) has been demonstrated to play two roles in the generation and expression of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses to virusinfected cells: (1) cytotoxic T cells can only recognize viral antigens in conjunction with antigens encoded by HLA-A and -B genes; and (2) HLA-linked genes may control the capacity to generate T-cell responses to a given virus or to virus in conjunction with particular self HLA-A and -B antigens. Analysis of T-cell responses generatedin vivo to Epstein-Barr virus suggests that human T cells may recognize virus in conjunction with antigens other than the class I HLA polymorphic specificities.