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"

Peptide pool of 67 overlapping peptides derived from a peptide scan (15mers with 11 aa overlap) through Transcriptional transactivator IE63 (UniProt ID: Q77NN7-1) of Varicella-zoster virus (strain Oka vaccine) for T cell assays One unit of the VZV (IE63) Peptide Pool allows the stimulation of 2,5 x 108 cells.The transcriptional transactivator IE63 is a phosphoprotein that is also known as immediate early 63-kDa protein (IE63) and transcriptional regulator ICP22 homolog. In the early stage of a VZV infection, IE63 is primarily expressed in the nucleus of the host cell. It interacts with transcription factors and RNA polymerases such as:  GTF2E1 GTF2H2 POLR2A These interactions enable IE63 to regulate the transcription of cellular and viral mRNAs. IE63 modulates the function of the immediate early protein 62 (IE62), which is the most important viral transactivator. By disorganizing specific host promoters, IE63 also helps to suppress the innate immune response to the virus. Additionally, IE63 can interact with host proteins, such as ASF1, altering their ability to bind histones. During latency of the virus, IE63 is mostly localized in the cytoplasm. 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"