VZV (IE63) Peptide Pool

IE62 593-601 (HLA-A*02:01) is a linear peptidic epitope with the amino acid sequence ALWALPHAA, studied as part of Major viral transcription factor ICP4 homolog from Human herpesvirus 3/Varicella-zoster virus. This epitope has been studied for immune reactivity and has been tested in T cell assays. The Major viral transcription factor ICP4 homolog is the most important transactivator of the Varicella zoster virus and therefore essential for its growth. [1] IE62 comprises 1,310 amino acids and is also known as VZV immediate early 62 protein (IE62). Upon infection, this tegument protein is introduced into the nuclei of host cells, where it acts as a transcriptional transactivator: It initiates the replication of the varicella zoster virus by transactivating viral immediate early, early and late genes. IE62 interacts with components of the host cell's transcription apparatus and recruits them to viral promoters. The link to the full publication can be found under the References tab.Read more about the Varicella zoster virus and its proteins in our blog post: "Varicella Zoster Virus: gE, IE-62 and IE-63 essential for Infection"

The VZV gE peptide pool is a pool of 153 overlapping peptides derived from a peptide scan through Envelope glycoprotein E (UniProt ID: P09259) of varicella zoster virus (strain Dumas). The 15-mer peptides of the peptide pool overlap by 11 amino acids.One unit allows the stimulation of 2,5 x 108 cells. Envelope glycoprotein E of varicella zoster Envelope glycoprotein E (gE) is the most abundant glycoprotein of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), also known as human herpesvirus 3 (HHV-3). VZV gE is indispensable for the assembly of infectious virions and viral replication. [1] It is highly immunogenic and, therefore, particularly interesting for research and development. VZV gE is recognized as the primary target of varicella-zoster-specific CD4+ T-cell responses, for example. [2] Application of the VZV gE peptide pool The VZV gE peptide pool triggers a strong specific T-cells stimulation. Therefore, it is employed in vaccine development, to assess vaccine-induced immunity against the varicella zoster virus. It is also used to investigate the molecular mechanisms behind the pathogenesis of diseases caused by the varicella zoster virus, such as herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia. Another application is the investigation of the effect of immunosuppressive therapeutics on immunity against varicella zoster. Application example Researchers have used a VZV gE peptide pool to evaluate immunogenicity and memory response in mice induced by mRNA-LNP-based vaccine candidates targeting VZV’s surface glycoprotein E. [3] They stimulated the spleens of the mice with the peptide pool one week after the final immunization. The researchers then measured the percentage of CD8+  and CD4+ T cells producing IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 by flow cytometry.The link to the full publications can be found under the References tab.Read more about the Varicella zoster virus and its proteins in our blog post: "Varicella Zoster Virus: gE, IE-62 and IE-63 essential for Infection"