Precopio, Melissa LynnSullivan, John L.Willard, CourtneySomasundaran, MohanLuzuriaga, Katherine2022-08-232022-08-232003-02-212009-03-10<p>J Immunol. 2003 Mar 1;170(5):2590-8.</p>0022-1767 (Print)10.4049/jimmunol.170.5.259012594286https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/38242The generation and maintenance of virus-specific CD4(+) T cells in humans are not well understood. We used short in vitro stimulation assays followed by intracellular cytokine staining to characterize the timing, magnitude, and Ag specificity of CD4(+) T cells over the course of primary EBV infection. Lytic and latent protein-specific CD4(+) T cells were readily detected at presentation with acute infectious mononucleosis and declined rapidly thereafter. Responses to BZLF-1, BMLF-1, and Epstein-Barr nuclear Ag-3A were more commonly detected than responses to Epstein-Barr nuclear Ag-1. Concurrent analyses of BZLF-1-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells revealed differences in the expansion, specificity, and stability of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell-mediated responses over time. Peripheral blood EBV load directly correlated with the frequency of EBV-specific CD4(+) T cell responses at presentation and over time, suggesting that EBV-specific CD4(+) T cell responses are Ag-driven.en-USJournal Articlehttps://escholarship.umassmed.edu/oapubs/1117770095oapubs/1117