Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus, a chief pathogen in immunocompromised people, can persist in a healthy immunocompetent host throughout life without being eliminated by the immune system. Here we show that pp65, the main tegument protein of human cytomegalovirus, inhibited natural killer cell cytotoxicity by an interaction with the activating receptor NKp30. This interaction was direct and specific, leading to dissociation of the linked CD3ζ from NKp30 and, consequently, to reduced killing. Thus, pp65 is a ligand for the NKp30 receptor and demonstrates a unique mechanism by which an intracellular viral protein causes general suppression of natural killer cell cytotoxicity by specific interaction with an activating receptor.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 515-523 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Nature Immunology |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2005 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank E. Vivier, H. Hengel and M. Lopez-Botet for suggestions; and D. Davis and D. Coen for critically reading the manuscript. Supported by the Israel Science Foundation (O.M. and D.W.), European Commission (QLK2-CT-2002-011112 to O.M.), Hadassah Women’s Health Research Foundation (D.W.) and Deutsche Forschungsgemeimschaft (SFB490 to B.P.).