Antigen presentation in patients with recrudescent orofacial herpes simplex virus infections

Recovery from epidermal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection depends primarily on development of an effective cell-mediated immune response, possibly generated following antigen (Ag) presentation by epidermal cells (EC). The ability of EC to present HSV Ag was investigated in 12 subjects with occasional recrudescent facial HSV infections. All had circulating HSV specific antibodies and cell-mediated immunity to the virus. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell suspensions, depleted of antigen presenting cells (APC) by glass adherence and then enriched for T cells by adsorption on nylon wool columns, did not proliferate in response to HSV Ag. Both EC suspensions, prepared from suction blister roofs, and glass-adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells (AC) preincubated with ultraviolet-inactivated HSV, reconstituted the T-cell proliferative response to HSV. EC were more efficient than AC at presenting HSV Ag to T cells. Depletion of CD1+ cells from EC suspensions by cell sorting reduced their ability to present HSV Ag and augmentation of CD1+ cell numbers supplemented it. Preincubation of EC or AC with monoclonal antibodies to major histocompatibility complex class II antigens DP, DQ or DR, blocked the lymphoproliferative response to HSV Ag. Evidence was obtained that cells co-ordinately expressing products of the DP, DQ and DR loci are involved in presentation of HSV Ag by both EC and AC.