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. 2012 Feb 8;14(3):246–255. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/nor227

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2.

Selected immune subversive human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) proteins blocking CTL and NK cell recognition and antigen presentation pathways. HCMV gene nomenclature designates genes as UL for unique long and US for unique short to reflect regions of the genome from which the gene originates. UL83 (pp65) inhibits presentation of the immunodominant CMV protein immediate early 1 (IE1); US2 mediates degradation of HLA class I and II a chains; US3 causes retention of class I molecules within the ER; US6 inhibits TAP-mediated peptide transportation into the ER; US11 (like US2) causes destruction of class I a chains; UL16 inhibits NK cell recognition via the activating receptor NKG2D by binding to its ligands (ULBPs); UL18 activates LIR-1, an inhibitory receptor found on NK cells, lymphocytes, and most other immune cells; and UL40 activates the inhibitory NKG2A/B receptor by upregulating HLA-E expression. HCMV produces a functional IL-10 homolog (UL111A) and induces expression of cellular PGE-2 and TGF-β, which further inhibit NK cell response.