Cytomegalovirus (CMV) IE1- and pp65-specific CD8+ T cell responses broaden over time after primary CMV infection in infants

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in young children. We have previously shown that CD8+ T cell responses to CMV pp65 or IE1 protein were readily detectable in children with congenital or postnatal CMV infection. Here, we have further characterized the evolution of the peptide specificity of these responses in 7 infants<6 months of age at the start of the study. Thirteen pp65 and 15 IE1 peptides (median, 5 peptides/infant) were targeted, and most (61%) represented sequences not previously reported. Peptide specificity remained stable or broadened over time despite the clearance of CMV viremia. Loss of peptide recognition was not observed. Responses with the highest functional peptide avidity were not necessarily detected earliest. These data provide additional evidence that young infants can generate diverse CMV-specific CD8+ T cell responses but show that early responses may exhibit relatively focused peptide specificity and lower peptide avidity.