Quantitative and functional diversity of cross-reactive EBV-specific CD8 T cells in a longitudinal study cohort of lung transplant recipients

Abstract

Background. Cross-reactive antiviral memory T cells constitute a significant proportion of the alloresponse, potentially playing a pivotal role in adverse posttransplant outcomes in human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-mismatched allografts. We explored the longitudinal dynamics of cross-reactive HLA-B8-restricted Epstein-Barr virus-specific CD8+ T cells directed toward the EBNA3A epitope FLRGRAYGL (FLR) in lung transplant recipients (LTRs) to determine whether their corecognition of HLA-B*4402 expressed on the allograft contributed to poorer posttransplant outcomes. Methods. Cross-reactive FLR-specific CD8+ T cells were measured in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and bronchoalveolar lavage ..