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Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-specific T cells are essential to control and resolve genital herpes (GH). To investigate the potential involvement of γδ T cells in GH, T cells were recovered and expanded, by mitogenic stimulation, to T cell lines from the genital lesions of 17 patients with GH and 5 control subjects who had other diseases. Relatively high numbers of γδ T cells—predominantly, Vγ9Vδ2 T cells—were detected only in the T cell lines of the patients with GH. Intralesional Vγ9Vδ2 T cell clones did not recognize HSV-infected cells, but they showed reactivity to isopentenyl pyrophosphate and Daudi cells. The T cell clones secreted interferon-γ tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-8, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, and RANTES (regulated on activation, normally T cell expressed or secreted), but they secreted no or limited IL-4. The results of the present study suggest the infiltration and putative involvement of isopentenyl pyrophosphate-reactive Vγ9Vδ2 T helper 1-like cells in individuals with GH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herpetic stromal keratitis (HSK) is a T helper type 1 cell-mediated inflammatory disease triggered by herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection of the cornea. In contrast to animal models of HSK, little is known about the role of T cells in human HSK. The phenotypes and repertoires of HSV-specific T cells recovered from the corneas of 12 patients with HSK were determined by flow cytometry. Cornea-derived T cell lines (TCLs) from 10 of the 12 patients contained high numbers of HSV-specific T cells. HSV reactivity was HSV type common and involved relatively more CD8[SUP+] than CD4[SUP+] T cells. The majority of the TCLs showed restricted T cell receptor β-chain variable region protein (TCRBV) use. T cells expressing 1 or 2 TCRBVs dominated the HSV-1 reactivity in 3 of 5 TCLs analyzed. The data demonstrate that both CD4[SUP+] and CD8[SUP+] T cells may be involved in the HSV-specific T cell response in the corneas of patients with HSK and suggest that restricted TCRBV use by cornea-residing HSV-specific T cells occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intraocular infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) can cause uveitis, a potentially sightthreatening disease. The disease is characterized by an ocular infiltration of inflammatory cells such as macrophages and B and T cells. The characteristics of the local humoral and cellular immune responses elicited on intraocular HSV infection are poorly understood. The local HSV-specific antibody production, which are used routinely for confirmation of a clinical diagnosis of herpetic uveitis, has never been analyzed in detail. This study analyzed the humoral immune response against HSV type 1 (HSV-1) in paired samples of intraocular fluid and serum of patients with intraocular herpesvirus infection. In addition, the B cell epitope distribution on a single HSV-1 type-specific antigen, glycoprotein G, was compared for these paired samples. The results presented here indicate that the inflamed eyes of patients with HSV-induced uveitis display a compartmentalized B cell response directed toward the triggering virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elucidates the target antigens and the epitopes recognized by such T cell clones (TCC) from three patients with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-induced acute retinal necrosis. Analysis of the fine specificities of genetically different T cell clones with recombinant HSV viruses and synthetic peptides; Identification of the target antigen; Identification of two separate CD4[sup +] VP13/14 T cell epitopes.