Cell biology 

Quantitative, phenotypical, or functional analysis of pp65-specific T cell immunity can provide important information on the natural course of immune responses in healthy or immunocompromised individuals.

Background information
Human cytomegalovirus (CMV, HCMV) is a member of the herpes virus group. Between 50% and 85% of human adults are infected with CMV. Once infected, the virus persists in the organism. In healthy individuals, the infection is asymptomatic, but in immunocompromised patients CMV can cause severe disease. The pp65 protein (65 kDa lower matrix phosphoprotein), also known as glycoprotein 64 or UL83, is a virion tegument protein and the main component of the enveloped subviral particle. pp65 is an immunodominant target of CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cell responses to CMV. pp65-specific T cells predominantly produce cytokines such as IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-α.

Downstream applications
Detection of pp65-specific effector/memory T cells, for example, by MACS® Cytokine Secretion Assays, intracellular cytokine staining, or other technologies.
Restimulation of cells for the isolation of viable pp65-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, for example, using the MACS® Cytokine Secretion Assay – Cell Enrichment and Detection Kits.
Generation of pp65-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from naive T cell populations, for example in immunotherapy or vaccination research.
Pulsing of antigen-presenting cells, e.g., as a model in research on antigen uptake and presentation.