The T Cell Response to Epstein-Barr Virus

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects nearly every individual whereupon it persists for life under the control of a broad immune response. EBV provides a valuable system for understanding human T cell immunology. It is genetically stable and expresses well-characterised viral proteins, many of which have been mapped for HLA-I- and HLA-II- restricted epitopes allowing the cognate CD8+ and CD4+ T cell response to be measured and characterised. Individuals with symptomatic infectious mononucleosis readily allow primary infection to be studied in both blood and tissues. Here, we describe the T cell response to primary EBV infection in children and adolescents, and to persistent EBV infection over the life course. We also examine the EBV-specific T cell response in multiple sclerosis, now recognised to be strongly associated with EBV and in which certain HLA alleles influence disease risk. Finally, we explore unconventional T cells, including HLA-E-restricted T cells, gamma delta T cells, and NKT cells in the context of EBV infection.