Peptide-Major Histocompatibility Complex presenting Cytomegalovirus Immediate-Early 1-derived epitopes (pMHC-CMV-IE1)

Peptide-Major Histocompatibility Complex (pMHC) complexes presenting Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Immediate-Early 1 (IE1)-derived epitopes are critical immunological targets for the control of CMV infection (UniProt P13202). The IE1 protein is a potent immunogen and one of the first viral products expressed during the lytic cycle or reactivation from latency, making it an early marker for immune recognition (Khan et al., 2002, J Infect Dis). These complexes, typically involving HLA Class I molecules such as HLA-A*02:01, present specific peptides like VLEETSVML to the T-cell receptors (TCRs) of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (IEDB). In therapeutic development, these pMHC complexes are targeted by adoptive T-cell therapies and TCR-engineered T cells (TCR-T) to prevent or treat CMV-related diseases in immunocompromised patients, such as transplant recipients (Allovir, 2023). By enhancing the natural TCR-pMHC interaction, these therapies aim to selectively eliminate cells harboring the virus before significant clinical progression occurs. However, the high degree of HLA polymorphism requires precise patient matching, and there is a significant safety concern regarding potential cross-reactivity with similar self-peptides (Stone et al., 2015, JCI).

Other names

HLA-CMV IE1 complexCMV IE1 peptide-HLA complexIE1-pMHCHLA-A*02:01/VLEETSVML complexCytomegalovirus IE1 antigen-MHC complex

Recognition by specific T-cell receptors (TCRs) on CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which triggers the release of cytotoxic granules (perforin and granzymes) and Fas-mediated apoptosis to eliminate the infected cell.