Epstein-Barr virus-derived peptide antigens presented on Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) (EBV-peptide-HLA complex)

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-derived peptide antigens presented on Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) molecules are critical targets for the cellular immune response against EBV-infected cells. These complexes are formed when viral proteins, such as EBNA1, LMP1, and LMP2, are processed into short peptides and loaded onto HLA Class I or Class II molecules for presentation on the cell surface (Source: PubMed, PMID: 31435325). This presentation allows CD8+ and CD4+ T cells to recognize and eliminate infected cells, which is essential for controlling both primary infection and EBV-associated malignancies like post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (Source: NIH, National Cancer Institute). In the context of drug development, these peptide-HLA complexes serve as the primary target for adoptive T-cell therapies and TCR-engineered T cells. For instance, Tabelecleucel is an allogeneic T-cell therapy designed to recognize specific EBV-HLA complexes to treat EBV-positive PTLD (Source: EMA, Ebvallo Assessment Report). Additionally, vaccines are being developed to prime the immune system to recognize these specific epitopes, thereby preventing EBV-related diseases and potentially mitigating the risk of associated autoimmune conditions like multiple sclerosis (Source: Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.abj8222).

Other names

EBV-peptide-MHC complexEBV-specific HLA-peptide complexEpstein-Barr virus epitope-HLA complexEBV-pMHC

Recognition by T-cell receptors (TCRs) on cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) leading to the targeted lysis of EBV-infected or EBV-transformed cells.