Description
Background information
HHV-6 is a ubiquitous β-herpesvirus which is widespread among humans. It exists as two closely related variants: HHV-6A and HHV-6B, with HHV-6B being the primary cause of roseola infantum (exanthem subitum), while HHV-6A is less well characterized but has been associated with neurological diseases and multiple sclerosis. Both variants establish lifelong latency (a state where the viral genome persists without active production of infectious virions), mainly in mononuclear cells, and can reactivate, especially in immunocompromised individuals (e.g., transplant recipients). The immediate-early 2 (IE-2) protein, also known as U90/U86 protein, is one of the first viral proteins expressed after infection or reactivation, before DNA replication begins. IE-2 is a key regulatory protein expressed early during HHV-6 reactivation and is recognized by virus-specific T cells, making a peptide pool targeting IE-2 a valuable tool for immunomonitoring, early detection of reactivation, and T cell–based research in HHV-6–associated diseases.
The PepTivator Peptide Pools have been specially developed for efficient in vitro stimulation of antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in various applications. Stimulation of T cells with PepTivator Peptide Pools causes the secretion of effector cytokines and upregulation of activation markers, which then allows the detection or isolation of antigen-specific T cells. Quantitative, phenotypical, or functional analysis of antigen-specific T cell immunity can provide important information on the natural course of immune responses in healthy or immunocompromised individuals.
Overview
PepTivator® HHV-6 IE2 Select, is a pool of lyophilized peptides, covering important MHC-I and MHC-II epitopes of the IE2 protein (UniProt ID: Q9QJ16) of the human herpes virus type 6 (HHV-6) variant B.
In vitro stimulation of antigen-specific T cells with PepTivator Peptide Pools causes the secretion of effector cytokines and the up-regulation of activation markers, which then allow the detection and isolation of antigen-specific T cells.
