The specific immune responses directed against the viral single stranded (ss)
DNA binding protein ICP8 and the
transactivator of immediate early (IE) gene expression
VP16 (
alpha-trans inducing factor, Vmw65) in HSV type 1 seropositive humans were examined. The results described in this paper indicate that neither ICP8 nor
VP16 were able to induce a recall response in lymphocytes of healthy HSV seropositive individuals without
recurrent infection, although CD4+ T cells purified from these individuals responded to both
viral proteins in vitro when monocyte derived dendritic cells were used as antigen presenting cells. A recall response, however, could be induced to both
viral proteins in T cells of patients with recurrent HSV
infections when blood monocytes were used. Moreover, ICP8- and VP16-specific
antibodies could be detected in the serum of patients with recurrent HSV
infections whereas, in contrast, these
antibodies were virtually absent in healthy HSV seropositive individuals without recurrences. These data represent the first systematic study of the immunological properties of ICP8 in humans, indicating a significant difference in the response to the essential viral regulators ICP8 and
VP16 in HSV-1 seropositive healthy individuals as opposed to patients with recurrent HSV-1
infections.