Cytomegalovirus phosphoprotein 65 (pp65) peptide-MHC complex (CMV pp65-MHC complex)

The Cytomegalovirus phosphoprotein 65 (pp65) peptide-MHC complex is a primary immunological target for the management of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections and associated pathologies (UniProt P06725). pp65, encoded by the UL83 gene, is the most abundant tegument protein of HCMV and is highly immunodominant, eliciting robust CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell responses (PubMed 11248117). In the context of therapeutic intervention, peptides derived from pp65 are presented by Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Class I or II molecules on the surface of infected or malignant cells. This presentation allows for the specific recognition and elimination of these cells by the host's immune system or by engineered T-cell therapies like Viralym-M (PubMed 31533911). The complex is particularly significant in glioblastoma research, where pp65 expression in tumor cells provides a specific target for immunotherapy (PubMed 28257290). Therapeutic strategies include vaccines like Triplex and adoptive T-cell transfers aimed at restoring CMV-specific immunity in transplant recipients.

Other names

UL83 peptide-HLA complexCMV pp65 antigenpp65-derived peptide-MHCHuman cytomegalovirus phosphoprotein 65HLA-A*02:01-restricted pp65 peptide

T-cell receptor (TCR) mediated recognition of the peptide-MHC complex, triggering the release of perforins and granzymes to induce apoptosis in the target cell.