The N-terminal 513 amino acids of the envelope glycoprotein gB of human cytomegalovirus stimulates both B- and T-cell immune responses in humans.

Host defense against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) involves both humoral and cell-mediated immunity. In this report, human immune responses to glycoproteins encoded by the HCMV gB homolog gene have been examined by using glycoproteins purified by immunoaffinity from HCMV virions and recombinant proteins expressed by vaccinia viruses containing either the entire gB open reading frame or a C-terminal deletion mutant, gBm165, coding for the N-terminal 513 amino acids of gB. Neutralizing antibodies, helper T cells, and cytotoxic T cells reactive with epitopes on the N-terminal portion of gB were detected in some seropositive individuals, suggesting that this region of gB may be important in eliciting protective immunity during natural infection for some individuals.