Peptide–Major Histocompatibility Complex class I presenting Cytomegalovirus antigens (pMHC-I (CMV))

Peptide–Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I complexes presenting Cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens are essential molecular structures that signal the presence of CMV infection to the immune system [3, 15]. These complexes are formed when CMV-derived proteins, such as the immunodominant tegument protein pp65 (UL83) or the immediate-early protein IE1 (UL123), are processed into short peptides and loaded onto MHC class I molecules within the endoplasmic reticulum [13, 14, 22]. Once displayed on the cell surface, they are recognized by the T-cell receptors (TCRs) of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which then initiate the destruction of the infected cell [9, 20]. In the context of medicine, these complexes serve as primary targets for immunotherapies, particularly in transplant recipients who are at high risk for CMV reactivation [13, 23]. Current therapeutic approaches include the use of CMV-specific T-cell therapies (VSTs), vaccines designed to enhance the recognition of these specific pMHC-I targets, and novel TCR-like antibodies that mimic T-cell recognition to eliminate infected or transformed cells [9, 16, 22]. Despite the virus's sophisticated mechanisms to downregulate MHC expression to evade detection, these complexes remain the cornerstone of cellular immune control and a focal point for next-generation antiviral and anti-tumor therapies [1, 5, 21].

Other names

CMV-specific pMHCHLA-CMV peptide complexCMV antigen-MHC complexpMHC-I/CMVCMV peptide-HLA complexCMV-specific pHLA

T-cell receptor (TCR) mediated recognition and activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes